Fire-retardant fillers thermal degradation

Furthermore, the effect of hydrated fillers on polymer fire retardancy will depend not only on the nature of the filler, including its particle characteristics (size, shape, and purity) and decomposition behavior, but also on the degradation mechanism of the polymer, together with any filler/ polymer interactions that might occur, influencing thermal stability of the polymer and possible char formation. 

This represents the key aspect of polymer fire retardancy using hydrated fillers, and involves energy changes that occur on the decomposition of the filler, related heat capacity effects, which influence the degradation profile of the polymer and thermal barrier formation resulting from the residue remaining from degraded filler. 

P. R. Hornsby, J. Wang, R. Rothon, G. Jackson, G. Wilkinson, and K. Cossick, Thermal decomposition behaviour of polyamide fire-retardant compositions containing magnesium hydroxide filler. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 51 (1996), 235-49. 

Kandola, B.K. Nazar6, S. Horrocks, A.R. Thermal degradation behaviour of flame retardant unsaturated polyester resins incorporating functionalised nanoclays, in M. Le Bras, C.A. Wilkie, S. Bourbigot, S. Duquesne, and C. Jama, Eds., Fire Retardancy of Polymers New Applications of Mineral Fillers. Royal Society of Chemistry, London, 2005, pp. 147-160. 

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