Polypropylene/phosphazene nanotube nanocomposites: Thermal, mechanical, and flame retardation studies

In this study, flame retardant polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites with superior mechanical performance have been developed using amine-functionalized phosphazene nanotubes (APZS, 1–10 wt%) through melt-blending method. Polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride was used as the compatibilizer to attain effective interaction between the nanofiller and the PP matrix. The characterization of amine-functionalized phosphazene nanotubes (APZS) using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy indicated successful amine functionalization, though structural changes were observed as compared to the unfunctionalized nanotubes. Owing to the covalent polymer-filler interfacial interactions and resulting in uniform filler dispersion, the nanocomposites exhibited significant enhancement in the tensile modulus up to 5 wt% APZS content (98% increment at 5 wt% content as compared to pure polymer). The addition of a small fraction of APZS (1 wt%) improved the impact strength of the nanocomposite by more than 180%. APZS acted as a weak nucleating agent for PP, thereby leading to enhanced degree of crystallinity (up to 5 wt% APZS content). The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was also enhanced with APZS content. The nanocomposites with 5 and 10 wt% APZS loading exhibited a V0 rating in UL-94 test, indicating that APZS introduced a robust flame retardancy behavior in the PP nanocomposites. The limiting oxygen index values also confirmed the findings from the UL-94 analysis. The developed nanocomposites exhibit high potential of use in a wide range of high temperature applications.