Investigation of flame retardancy and physical–mechanical properties of zinc borate/boric acid polyester composites

The glass fiber reinforced polyester composite materials were prepared with varying contents of boric acid, zinc borate, and magnesium hydroxide as flame retardants to improve the flame retardancy of the composites. Experimental results showed that boric acid exhibited a good flame retardant effect on the polyester composite. When boric acid content is used as 15 wt %, the Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) value of the composite reached upto 25.3. The increase in boric acid content from 15 to 30 wt %, the LOI values of composite were enhanced from 25.3 to 34.5 by 9.2 units. The LOI values of the composite samples increased with increasing boric acid content. The smoke density results showed that the addition of glass fiber and flame retardants decreased the smoke density of the unreinforced polyester resin. The mechanical properties of the composites have decreased by the addition of flame retardants. The scanning electron micrographs taken from fracture surfaces were examined. The flame retardants, such as boric acid, were well dispersed in the glass fiber reinforced polyester composites and obviously improved the interfacial interaction between glass fibers and polyester composites. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010