Synergistic effects of core@double-shell structured magnesium hydroxide microcapsules on flame retardancy and smoke suppression in flexible poly(vinyl chloride)

In order to develop an effective flame retardant for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), a core@double-shell structured magnesium hydroxide@9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide@melamine formaldehyde resin (MH@DOPO@ MF) encapsulated flame retardant was prepared. Its flame retardancy and smoke suppression effects in flexible PVC were investigated. Results show that the PVC/10 wt% MH@DOPO@MF composite has the best flame retardancy and smoke suppression performance in comparison with pure flexible PVC and the PVC/20 wt% MH composite. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the PVC/10 wt% MH@DOPO@MF composite was ∼30.8%, achieving a V-1 rating in the UL-94 test. MH@DOPO@MF in PVC remarkably increases the yields of the residual char and drastically decreased the heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), smoke production rate (SPR) and total smoke production (TSP). The mechanical property testing showed that MH@DOPO@MF had slight damage on the tensile strength and elongation at break of PVC. This is ascribed to the synergistic flame-retardant effects of MH coordination with DOPO and MF. The present work demonstrates that the core@double-shell structured microcapsule (MH@DOPO@MF) prepared in this efficient manner has good flame retardancy and smoke suppression, and may provide a candidate flame retardant for applying in flexible PVC.