Abstract
Investigations have been performed to determine the causes of the synergistic effect observed when a combination of flame retardants (FR; aluminum phosphinate/melamine polyphosphate) and organomodified montmorillonite (o-MMT) is used in polyamide 6 (PA6). Structures obtained at different stage of degradation in cone calorimeter experiments for the PA6, PA6/FR, PA6/o-MMT, PA6/FR/o-MMT are compared. The evolution of the chemical species formed according to the stages of degradation together with the characterization of the resistance of the char have enabled to elucidate the mechanism of protection involved for PA6/FR/o-MMT. Infrared characterizations have demonstrated that the species formed are degradation products of the components of the formulation that are also observed for PA6/FR and PA6/o-MMT and do not explain the improved performances. However, the structure of the char with clay distinguishes itself with a very specific small closed-cells foamed structure exhibiting an enhanced char strength. A detailed comparison of the mode of protection involved when using FR and a combination of FR/o-MMT when submitted to fire is proposed.
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