| Abstract: | The diffusion of additives and the deterioration with the passage of time in polypropylene (PP) were studied by using the UL flaming test and the oxygen index test to measure the flame retardancy. The weight change was also measured. The decreases with the lapse of time were observed for multiple flame retardants. Aliphatic brominated compounds showed the best result for flame retardancy in the initial stage of combustion. The best flame retardants for PP to inhibit the deterioration of flame retardancy with the passage of time were brominated hydrocarbon with more than two aromatic rings connected by a functional group or isocyanurate, and phosphates connected with a branching aliphatic hydrocarbon. The weight of the loss was plotted as a function of aging time and temperature to elucidate why the flame retardancy deteriorated. The apparent diffusion constant depends on the temperature and the rate was expressed with the Arrhenius equation. The concentration of flame retardant in PP was calculated by the constant and the equation at arbitrary time after thermal aging. The relation between the performance and chemical structure of the additives was also discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006 |
