Hyper-branched polymer grafting graphene oxide as an effective flame retardant and smoke suppressant for polystyrene

Weizhao Hu; Bin Yu; Shu-Dong Jiang; Lei Song; Yuan Hu; Bibo Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.040

Hyper-branched polymer grafting graphene oxide as an effective flame retardant and smoke suppressant for polystyrene

J Hazard Mater. 2015 Dec 30:300:58-66. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.040. Epub 2015 Jun 24.

Authors

Weizhao Hu¹, Bin Yu², Shu-Dong Jiang¹, Lei Song², Yuan Hu³, Bibo Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, PR China; Suzhou Key Laboratory of Urban Public Safety, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, PR China; Suzhou Key Laboratory of Urban Public Safety, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, PR China. Electronic address: yuanhu@ustc.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, PR China; Suzhou Key Laboratory of Urban Public Safety, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, PR China. Electronic address: wbibo@ustc.edu.cn.

PMID: 26151385
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.06.040

Abstract

A well-defined functionalized graphene oxide (FGO) grafted by hyper-branched flame retardant based on N-aminoethyl piperazine and phosphonate derivative was synthesized to reduce flammability and toxicity of polystyrene (PS). The chemical structure, morphological and thermal properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Micro combustion calorimeter and steady state tube furnace were employed to evaluate the heat and non-heat fire hazards of PS nanocomposites. The incorporation of FGO into PS matrix effectively improved the flame retardancy and restrained the toxicity of the volatiles escaped, which is attributed to that the homogeneous dispersion of FGO in the PS matrix enhanced barrier effect that reduced peak heat release rate, total heat release and toxic gas release during combustion. Furthermore, PS-FGO nanocompsites obviously decreased the amount of flammable and toxic volatiles evolved, such as the aromatic compounds, carbonyl compounds, carbon monoxide, indicating suppressed fire hazards of the PS composites.

Keywords: Fire hazards; Functionalized graphene oxide; Hyper-branched polymer; PS nanocomposites.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't