Flame Retarded PE with MH/ATH/Microencapsulated Red Phosphorous and its Toughening by Polymeric Compatibilizers

Abstract Non-halogen flame retarded polyethylene (PE) can be prepared by filling metallic hydroxides magnesium hydroxide (MH) or aluminium hydroxide (ATH), the mechanical properties of polymer composites will decline greatly when filling much more inorganic particles. Selecting microencapsulating particles, suitable synergistic agents or compatibilizers are good methods for improving the combination performance of composites. In this study, microencapsulated red phosphorous (MRP) was synthesized by using melamine-formaldehyde resin through in-situ polymerization, and used as a synergistic agent of MH and ATH, and the best proportion of three flame retardants was studied in detail. Results showed that flame retarded PE had a better combination performance when filling with 45 wt% compound flame retardants of MRP, MH and ATH under the weight ratio of 46/46/8. In order to improve the mechanical performance of composite, two polymeric compatibilizers POE-g-MAH and EPDM-g-MAH were selected to toughen the flame retarded PE composite. Results showed the flame resistance and mechanical properties of composites improved greatly with an increase of compatibilizer content, under the same condition, POE-g-MAH has a better contribution on the flame resistance and EPDM-g-MAH has a better toughening effect. The best flame retarded PE composite can be obtained by filling with 45 wt% compound flame retardants and 10 wt% EPDM-g-MAH.