Synergistic effect of metal oxides on the flame retardancy and thermal degradation of novel intumescent flame‐retardant thermoplastic polyurethanes

The synergistic effects of some metal oxides on novel intumescent flame retardant (IFR)–thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites were evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL‐94), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cone calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental data indicated that the metal oxides enhanced the LOI value and restricted the dropping of the composites. The IFR–TPU composites passed the UL‐94 V‐0 rating test (1.6 mm) in the presence of magnesium oxide (MgO) and ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) at 35 wt % IFR loading, whereas only the MgO‐containing IFR–TPU composite reached a UL‐94 V‐0 rating at 30 wt % IFR loading. The TGA results show that the metal oxides had different effects on the process of thermal degradation of the IFR–TPU compositions. MgO easily reacted with polyphosphoric acid generated by the decomposition of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to produce magnesium phosphate. MgO and Fe₂O₃ showed low flammability and smoke emission due to peak heat release rate, peak smoke production rate, total heat release, and total smoke production (TSP). However, zinc oxide brought an increase in the smoke production rate and TSP values. Among the metal oxides, MgO provided an impressive promotion on the LOI value. The alkaline metal oxide MgO more easily reacted with APP in IFRs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Bismuth oxide cocatalyst and copper oxide sensitizer in Cu2O/TiO2/Bi2O3 ternary photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen production under solar light irradiation

A novel Cu₂O/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ ternary nanocomposite was prepared, in which copper oxide improves the visible light absorption of TiO₂ and bismuth oxide improves electron–hole separation. The ternary composite exhibited extended absorption in the visible region, as determined by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images showed close contact among the individual semiconductor oxides in the ternary Cu₂O/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposite. Improved charge carrier separation and transport were observed in the Cu₂O/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ ternary composite using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and photocurrent analysis. TiO₂ modified with bismuth and copper oxides showed exceptional photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production under natural solar light. With optimum bismuth and copper oxide loadings, the Cu₂O/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ ternary nanocomposite exhibited an H₂ production (3678 μmol/h) 35 times higher than that of bare TiO₂ (105?μmol/h). The synergistic effect of improved visible absorption and minimal recombination was responsible for the enhanced performance of the as-synthesized ternary nanocomposite.     

Synergistic flame retardant effect of piperazine salt and ammonium polyphosphate as intumescent flame retardant system for polypropylene

Amino trimethylene phosphonic acid piperazine (ATPIP) salt, as a novel charring agent, is prepared via a simple ionic reaction in distilled water using amino trimethylene phosphate (ATMP) and piperazine as raw materials. The synergistic flame retardant effect of ATPIP and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) is investigated by various characterization and testing methods. The results show that the polypropylene (PP)/modified APP with piperazine (MAPP)/ATPIP ternary blend passes UL-94 V-0 rating and achieve a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 30% at a loading level of 25 wt% IFR (MAPP:ATPIP = 3:1). Meanwhile, the total smoke production (TSP) value of IFR-PP samples is 3.3 m², which decreases by 93.2% compared with that of pure PP, exhibiting excellent smoke suppression performance. Besides, the analysis of gaseous pyrolysis products and char residue indicates that the IFR-PP samples show a synergistic flame-retardant mechanism including the gas phase and the condensed phase.     

Synergistic Effect of Montmorillonite and Intumescent Flame Retardant on Flame Retardance Enhancement of ABS

The synergistic effects of organic montmorillonite (OMMT) and intumescent flame retardant (IFR) based on the ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) on flame retardant enhancement of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) were investigated by using the limiting oxygen index (LOI), the UL-94 (vertical flame) test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The LOI data and vertical flame tests show that OMMT has a synergistic flame retardant effect with IFR and the LOI value of ABS/OMMT/IFR (96/4/20) reaches 28.7%. The TGA data demonstrate that the incorporation of OMMT and IFR is very effective in enhancing the thermal stability of ABS/OMMT/IFR system at high temperature (T > 500°C). The results of XRD show that the composite of ABS/OMMT is a kind of intercalated nanocomposite and the gallery height of ABS/OMMT nanocomposite is 3.5 nm. The microstructures observed by SEM demonstrate that a suitable amount of OMMT with IFR can promote formation of compact intumescent charred layers in ABS blends.     

Development of the ReaxFF reactive force field for mechanistic studies of catalytic selective oxidation processes on BiMoO x

We have developed a new reactive force field, ReaxFF, for use in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structures and reactive dynamics of complex metal oxide catalysts. The parameters in ReaxFF are derived directly from QM and have been validated to provide reasonable accuracy for a wide variety of reactions. We report the use of ReaxFF to study the activation and conversion of propene to acrolein by various metal oxide surfaces. Using high-remperature MD-simulations on metal oxides slabs exposed to a propene gas phase we find that (1) Propene is not activated by MoO₃ but it is activated by amorphous Bi₂O₃ to form allyl which does not get oxidized by the surface; (2) Propene is activated by Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂ to form an allyl-radical and the hydrogen gets abstracted by a Mo=O bond, which is bridged via an O to a Bi-site; (3) Propene is activated over V₂O₅ to form an allyl, which is then selectively oxidized on the surface to form acrolein. The propene reations on V₂O₅ occur at lower temperatures than on Bi₂O₃ or Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂. The results are all consistent with experimental observations, encouraging us that such investigations will enhance our mechanistic understanding of catalytic hydrocarbon oxidation sufficiently to suggest modifications for improving efficiency and/or selectivity.     

Catalytically synergistic effects of novel LaMnO3 composite metal oxide in intumescent flame‐retardant polypropylene system

The newly prepared LaMnO₃ was introduced as a novel perovskite composite metal oxide catalyst for the first time to improve the flame retardancy of flame‐retarded (FR) polypropylene with intumescent flame‐retardant (IFR) system consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP), pentaerythritol (PER), and melamine (MA). The synergistic effects of LaMnO₃ catalyst on the performance of IFR PP composites as well as the corresponding catalytically synergistic FR mechanism were investigated. The experimental results show that the incorporated LaMnO₃ catalyst plays an excellently catalytic and synergistic part in improvement of the flame retardancy of FR PP system. Compared with FR system without LaMnO₃, the incorporation of only 0.5 wt% LaMnO₃ into PP FR system could obviously improve the UL‐94 level from failure to V‐0 rating and decrease the micro‐scale calorimetry parameters peak heat release rate and heat release capacity. The remarkable improvement in flammability can be ascribed to the catalytic carbonization effect of LaMnO₃ on the intumescent flame retardant PP system. The incorporation of appropriate amount of LaMnO₃, on one hand, could improve the thermal stability of FR PP material, and on the other hand, could also act as nuclei to induce formation of the continuous, compact and smooth condensed phase intumescent charred layer with radialized spherulite‐like structure. As a result, the char yield and also the quality of the formed condensed phase charred layers are correspondingly enhanced remarkably, which is beneficial to improvement of the FR properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2390–2400, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Oxidation of SO2over Supported Metal Oxide Catalysts

A systematic catalytic investigation of the sulfur dioxide oxidation reactivity of several binary (M_xO_y/TiO₂) and ternary (V₂O₅/M_xO_y/TiO₂) supported metal oxide catalysts was conducted. Raman spectroscopy characterization of the supported metal oxide catalysts revealed that the metal oxide components were essentially 100% dispersed as surface metal oxide species. Isolated fourfold coordinated metal oxide surface species are present for most oxides tested at low coverages, whereas at surface coverages approaching monolayer polymerized surface metal oxide species with sixfold coordination are present for some of the oxides. The sulfur dioxide oxidation turnover frequencies (SO₂molecules converted per surface redox site per second) of the binary catalysts were all within an order of magnitude (V₂O₅/TiO₂>Fe₂O₃/TiO₂>Re₂O₇/TiO₂∼CrO₃/TiO₂∼Nb₂O₅/TiO₂>MoO₃/TiO₂∼WO₃/TiO₂). An exception was the K₂O/TiO₂catalyst system, which is inactive for sulfur dioxide oxidation under the chosen reaction conditions. With the exception of K₂O, all of the surface metal oxide species present in the ternary catalysts (i.e., oxides of V, Fe, Re, Cr, Nb, Mo, and W) can undergo redox cycles and oxidize sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide. The turnover frequency for SO₂oxidation over all of these catalysts is approximately the same at both low and high surface coverages, despite structural differences in the surface metal oxide overlayers. This indicates that the mechanism of sulfur dioxide oxidation is not sensitive to the coordination of the surface metal oxide species. A comparison of the activities of the ternary catalysts with the corresponding binary catalysts suggests that the surface vanadium oxide and the additive surface oxide redox sites act independently without synergistic interactions: the sum of the individual activities of the binary catalysts quantitatively correspond to the activity of the corresponding ternary catalyst. The V₂O₅/K₂O/TiO₂catalyst showed a dramatic reduction in catalytic activity in comparison to the unpromoted V₂O₅/TiO₂catalyst. The ability of potassium oxide to significantly retard the redox potential of the surface vanadia species is primarily responsible for the lower catalytic reactivity.     

膨胀型阻燃剂和有机蒙脱土协同阻燃聚丙烯的研究

采用熔融插层法制备了聚丙烯/膨胀型阻燃剂/有机蒙脱土（PP/IFR/OMMT）阻燃复合材料。探讨了OMMT对PP膨胀阻燃体系的影响,通过X射线衍射(XRD)、极限氧指数、热重分析(TG)、力学性能测试对阻燃复合材料的阻燃性、热稳定性及力学性能进行了研究。结果表明,PP高分子链插层进入OMMT层间,形成了插层型复合材料。OMMT与IFR具有明显的协同阻燃性。OMMT添加量为2份时,复合材料的极限氧指数达到31 %,较单独添加IFR时高出30 %;与纯PP相比,复合材料残炭率明显提高。随着OMMT含量的增加,复合材料的拉伸强度、弯曲强度和冲击强度均呈现先上升后下降的趋势,当OMMT含量为3份、IFR含量为22份时,复合材料的拉伸强度、弯曲强度和冲击强度达到最大值。     

Oxide ion conduction in the sintered oxides of MoO3-doped Bi2O3

In order to examine the conduction behaviour in the sintered oxides of MoO₃-doped Bi₂O₃, the electrical conductivity in air and the EMF of oxygen gas concentration cell were measured with respect to the phase relation determined by X-ray diffraction.The tetragonal single phase oxide containing 22 mol% MoO₃ was found to be a high oxide ion conductor, the conductivity of which was comparable to those of stabilized zirconias. The partial electronic conduction in this phase was negligibly small at relatively high oxygen pressure. The oxide ion conduction was considered to be attributable to an appreciable amount of oxygen vacancies present in the crystal. In the monoclinic compound 3Bi₂O₃·2MoO₃, the oxide ion conduction was also observed. Although the conductivity of this phase was somewhat lower than that of the tetragonal phase, the activation energy for conduction (53·5 kJ mol^–1) was much lower than the values for usual oxide ion conductors.     

Synergistic effect of amino silane functional montmorillonite on intumescent flame‐retarded SEBS and its mechanism

A functional modified montmorillonite (F‐OMMT) was prepared by intercalating pristine montmorillonite using phosphonium salt and subsequent grafting through alkyl amino silane coupling. The synergistic effect of F‐OMMT on the flame retardancy and char‐forming mechanism of intumescent flame‐retarded polystyrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐styrene (SEBS) composite (SEBS/IFR) was investigated. When 2 wt % F‐OMMT was introduced to the SEBS/IFR composite, the limited oxygen index (LOI) value of the composite increased from 24.9% to 26.9%, and the peak heat release rate significantly reduced according to microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) test. The outer char demonstrated that F‐OMMT produced dense and intact nanoparticles with a stabilised graphite structure. Meanwhile, F‐OMMT helped form a crosslinking network containing large amounts of P, O, N, and Si in the char layer. Along with IFR, the amino functional group on the clay released nonflammable ammonia in the gaseous phase, the enhanced blowing effect can overcome the high‐viscosity resistance of SEBS, more intumescent coating with strengthened clay platelets was then produced. In addition, the tensile properties of SEBS/IFR/F‐OMMT composite increased evidently for the good dispersion effect. F‐OMMT can serve as an effective and environmentally friendly additive for SEBS/IFR composite. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44953.     

Enhanced flame retardancy of unsaturated polyester resin composites containing ammonium polyphosphate and metal oxides

Three metal oxides (MOs) (Fe₂O₃, Sb₂O₃, Al₂O₃) were incorporated into blends of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR)/ammonium polyphosphate (APP) composites with the aim of studying and comparing their synergistic effect on flame retardancy with APP. The UPR-APP/MOs composites were prepared, then the thermal stability and flame-retardant properties of the UPR composites were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94), and cone calorimetry test (CCT). Besides, residues after CCT were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy. The LOI values of the UPR composites with 0.5 wt% MOs increased to around 40%. However, the CCT results indicated that the incorporation of Sb₂O₃ brought an increase in the total heat release. Moreover, these three MOs had different effects on the process of thermal degradation of UPR composites from the TGA results. Based on the above results, Al₂O₃ provided a best promotion on flame retardancy among three MOs.     

Flammability,thermal stability,and mechanical properties of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer/polypropylene composites filled with intumescent flame retardant and inorganic synergists

Three kinds of inorganic particles, zinc borate (ZB), organic montmorillonite (OMMT), and expanded graphite (EG) as synergistic flame retardants, are incorporated into ethylene-propylene-diene monomer/polypropylene (EPDM/PP) composites filled with intumescent flame retardants (IFR). The effect of three synergistic flame retardants on the combustion, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the EPDM/PP/IFR composites are investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 test, cone calorimeter test (CCT), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy, mechanical property testing, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results from LOI, UL-94, and CCT show that the synergistic effect of IFR with ZB and EG is better than IFR with OMMT in the flame retardant EPDM/PP/IFR composites. The TGA results indicate that the thermal stability and char residues of the composites is improved with the addition of inorganic particles, which is attributed to the formation of dense char layers to isolate heat flow. DMA results including storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G"), and loss factor (tan δ) suggest that the composites with inorganic particles exhibit more rubber-filler interaction, which limits the movement of the rubber chains.     

Selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide containing excess water and ammonia over Bi-V-Sb-O catalysts

We investigated the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur and ammonium thiosulfate by using Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by the calcination of a homogeneous mixture of Bi₂O₃, V₂O₅, and Sb₂O₃ obtained by ball-milling adequate amounts of the three oxides. The main phases detected by XRD analysis were Bi₄V₂O₁₁, Bi_1.33V₂O₆, BiSbO₄ and BiVO₄. They showed good H₂S conversion with less than 2% of SO₂ selectivity with a feed composition of H₂S/O₂/NH₃/H₂O/He=5/2.5/5/60/27.5 and GHSV=12,000 h^-1 in the temperature ranges of 220–260 ‡C. The highest H₂S conversion was obtained for x=0.2 in Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalyst. TPR/TPO results showed that this catalyst had the highest amount of oxygen consumption. XPS analysis before and after reaction confirmed the least reduction of vanadium oxide phase for this catalyst during the reaction. It means that the catalyst with x=0.2 had the highest reoxidation capacity among the Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalysts.     

Effect of a novel intumescent retardant for ABS with synergist Al(H<Subscript>2</Subscript>PO<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>

A novel intumescent flame retardant (IFR), containing ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) (PA6T), was prepared for acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS). Limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the flammability property and thermal stability of the IFR/ABS systems. It was found that the flame retardancy of the IFR/ABS systems was improved significantly. When the components of the IFR were 25% APP and 5% PA6T, the LOI value of IFR/ABS system reached to the maximum of 29, but only UL-94V-1 rating was passed. Thus, Al(H₂PO₂)₃ was incorporated into ABS/APP/PA6T system as a synergistic agent, it was found 2% addition of Al(H₂PO₂)₃ caused PA6T/APP/PA6T/Al(H₂PO₂)₃ (70/23.3/4.7/2) to pass V-0 rating of UL-94 test. Meanwhile, the TGA curves indicated that PA6T could be effective as a charring agent and there was a synergistic reaction between PA6T and APP, which effectively promoted the char formation of IFR/ABS composites. Moreover, the residual char obtained after the LOI test of the IFR/ABS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). Results indicated that P–O–C chemical bond was formed in the residual char, which could indicate the cross-linking reaction between PA6T and APP could occur. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology of the residual char formed in the LOI tests. It was revealed that both ABS/APP/PA6T (70/25/5) and PA6T/APP/PA6T/Al(H₂PO₂)₃ (70/23.3/4.7/2) formed uniform and compact intumescent charred layers.     

In situ synthesis of Bi2O3/Bi2MoO6 heterostructured microspheres for efficiently removal of acid orange 7

Flower-like Bi₂O₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterostructured microspheres with excellent photocatalytic performance were successfully constructed by in situ ion exchange and calcination, employing Bi₂MoO₆ microspheres prepared by solvothermal method as raw material and template. Various characterization techniques including XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, UV–vis DRS and XPS have been adopted to analyze the composition, structure and optical absorption property of the obtained sample. Their photocatalytic properties for degrading acid orange 7 (AO7) were investigated with visible light. Experimental results show that all Bi₂O₃/Bi₂MoO₆ composites have a higher catalytic activities than pure Bi₂MoO₆. Remarkably, 0.2Bi₂O₃/Bi₂MoO₆ show best activity and the degradation efficiency is up to 99% under visible light for 100?min, which is ascribed to the synergistic effect and big heterojunction interface, and promoting rapid transmission of photogenerated charge. Moreover, There is negligible reduction on the degradation efficiency after catalysts was reused for 4 times. The photogenerated holes (h⁺) and superoxide radical anions (?O₂^-) were major active species by radical scavenger experiments. A possible mechanism is proposed to explain rationally enhancement of photocatalytic activity.     

Middle-low temperature sintering and piezoelectric properties of CuO and Bi2O3 doped PMS-PZT based ceramics for ultrasonic motors

A ternary solid-solution piezoelectric ceramic of rare-earth oxides modified 0.03 Pb(Mn_1/3Sb_2/3)O₃-0.97 Pb(Zr_0.505Ti_0.495)O₃ + x wt.% CuO + y wt.% Bi₂O₃ (PMS-PZT + x wt.% CuO + y wt. % Bi₂O₃) (x, y = 0–0.2) was successfully prepared via a transient-liquid-phase sintering. Both Cu²⁺ and Bi³⁺ were believed to replace the A-site Pb ions and to evidently induce the lattice shrinkage and the distortion decrease. However, the addition of only a small amount of CuO was found to effectively reduce the sintering temperature, sustain good piezoelectric properties and predominant transgranular fracture modes, but obviously increase the average grain size and high-field dielectric loss. Further experimental results indicate that the grain growth of the ceramics was inhibited effectively and the high-field dielectric loss was reduced through CuO and Bi₂O₃ co-doping. The 0.05 wt% CuO and 0.15 wt% Bi₂O₃ co-doped PMS-PZT ceramics sintered at 1050 °C exhibit excellent dielectric and piezoelectric properties of d₃₃ = 410 pC/N, k_p = 0.62, Q_m = 1478, ε_r = 1550, tan δ = 0.8% (400 V/mm) and T_c = 330 °C. The experimental results can provide a solid fundament for multilayer piezoelectric actuating devices.     

Synergistic effects of nano‐Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 on intumescent flame‐retarded polypropylene

The melamine salt of 5,5‐dimethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaphos‐phorinane‐2‐oxide‐2‐hydroxide (IFR100) was used as an intumescent flame retardant in flame‐retarded polypropylene (PP). As a synergistic agent, nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ was incorporated into the PP/IFR100 composite at different proportions. The synergistic effects of nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ were studied by the limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The synergistic effect of the nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ additive with IFR100 was clearly observed by LOI. The TGA results showed that nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ improved the thermal stability of the PP/IFR100 system above 400°C. On the basis of the FTIR and XRD results, it was evident that nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ efficiently promoted the formation of a charred layer containing phosphocarbonaceous structures. The SEM micrographs indicated that nano‐Mn_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ strengthened the structure of the char layer remaining after combustion. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Realization of low-temperature and selective NO2 sensing of SnO2 nanowires via synergistic effects of Pt decoration and Bi2O3 branching

Metal oxide semiconductors with branched structures, such as branched nanowires (b-NWs), have promising properties for being used in gas sensors. In this work, we synthesized Pt-decorated Bi₂O₃-branched SnO₂ nanowires (NWs). NO₂ sensing studies revealed the superior capacity of a Pt-decorated Bi₂O₃-branched SnO₂ NWs gas sensor relative to pristine and branched SnO₂ gas sensors, and it worked at near room temperature (50 °C). The increased sensing capacity was related to the synergistic effects of Pt decoration and Bi₂O₃ branching, particularly the morphology of the gas sensor with branched structures, the promising effects of Pt as a noble metal with good catalytic activity, and the generation of homo- and heterojunctions in the Pt-decorated Bi₂O₃-branched SnO₂ NWs gas sensor. The results obtained in this work are useful for design and development of NO₂ gas sensors using a simple strategy, which can be easily extended to various metal oxides.     

Characterization and catalytic properties of MoO3–V2O5/Nb2O5 catalysts

The influence of molybdenum oxide on the dispersion of vanadium oxide supported on niobia was investigated. A series of MoO₃–V₂O₅/Nb₂O₅ catalysts with varying MoO₃ content ranging from 1% to 5% (w/w) with fixed V₂O₅ content were prepared by impregnation of previously prepared 5 wt% V₂O₅/Nb₂O₅ with requisite amounts of ammonium molybdate solution. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate the presence of β-(Nb,V)₂O₅ phase with the addition of MoO₃ up to a loading of 3 wt%. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) results suggest that the reducibility is decreasing with MoO₃ loading. The results of temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of ammonia suggest that the acidity of the catalysts increased with the addition of MoO₃. The catalytic properties of the catalysts in the ammoxidation of 3-picoline were correlated with the characterization data.     

Flame retardancy in fabric consisting of cellulosic fiber and modacrylic fiber containing fine‐grained MoO3 particles

Flame retardancy of fabrics consisting of modacrylic fiber containing with various dispersed metal compounds and cellulosic fiber has been investigated by means of flame test (ISO15025 procedure A) and limiting oxygen index (LOI). It has been found that excellent flame retardancy is achieved by fine‐grained MoO₃ particles. The afterflame time in flame test and the LOI value are improved with decreasing particle size of MoO₃. The flame retardancy of MoO₃ (particle size; 0.1 µm) is comparable to that of Sb₂O₃. On the other hand, significant improvement in flame retardancy is not observed for other metal compounds although some metal oxides and a hydroxide in the present study are known as flame retardant or smoke suppressing agent in halogen containing polymer in previous studies. In order to clarify the mechanism of the observed flame retardancy by the addition of fine‐grained MoO₃, we have carried out X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) measurement of the fabric specimen after the flame test and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of various types of samples. These analytical data indicated that MoO₃ works as halogen synergist in solid phase and the char of modacrylic fiber formed by addition of MoO₃ suppresses decomposition of the cotton blended in the fabric in the range of the ignition temperature. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.