Effects of AP and AP-ethyl on the properties of PA6

In this work, the effects of inorganic phosphinate flame retardant of aluminum hypophosphite (AP) and organic phosphinate flame retardant of ethyl substituted phosphinates (AP-ethyl) on the thermal degradation, flame performance, and mechanical properties of polyamide 6 (PA6) were investigated. Scanning electron micrograph showed AP with the shape of bulk and the mean size of 8 μm while AP-ethyl with irregular shape and the mean size of 30 μm. Thermal analysis indicated that the thermal degradation behavior of flame-retardant PA6 was different from pure PA6. Moreover, the cone calorimeter test results revealed that peak heat release rate (PHRR) of PA6/AP (85/15) and PA6/AP-ethyl (85/15) decreased by 51% and 64%, respectively, compared with pure PA6. Furthermore, pure PA6 showed ductile stress–strain curve with the tensile strength of 54.8 MPa. However, PA6/AP and PA6/AP-ethyl displayed brittle stress–strain curve and their tensile strength decreased to 52.3 and 47.1 MPa, respectively. In addition, pure PA6 showed a glossy and tough fracture surface morphology. The rough fracture surface morphologies for PA6/AP and PA6/AP-ethyl were observed, and the interface of PA6/AP was more obscure than that of PA6/AP-ethyl. Consequently, the small particle size of AP had a more uniform dispersion in PA6 matrix.