Effect of talc on thermal stability and flame retardancy of polycarbonate/PSBPBP composite

A novel flame retardant poly(3-aminopropyl methylsiloxane bis(3-hydroxy phenyl spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphate)) (PSBPBP) in combination with talc was blended into polycarbonate (PC) by melt compounding. The flame retardancy and thermal stability of PC/PSBPBP/talc composites were investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, UL-94 rating test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanical properties were also measured in this work. Increasing talc content leads to observed improvement on flame retardancy of PC composites. LOI value of PC/PSBPBP/10 wt % talc system was 34, and this system passed V0 rating in the UL-94 test. The char yield at 700°C was 28.2% and the onset decomposition temperature shifted up to 540°C for PC/10% PSBPBP/10% talc system in TGA. In the Raman measure, the R value and G linewidth of PC/PSBPBP with 10 wt % talc composite increased to 1.41 and 65 cm^?1 from 1.12 and 43 cm^?1 of pure PC, respectively. The Raman results suggest that the char residue of PC/PSBPBP with talc composites was denser and had better barrier property, which is agreement with the SEM results. Besides, talc had no remarkable influence on the mechanical properties of PC/PSBPBP composites. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012