Fire retardant synergism between melamine and triphenyl phosphate in poly(butylene terephthalate)

The fire retardant efficiency of melamine (MA) and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) in poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was studied by the limiting oxygen index (LOI) and the UL94 test. On adding 10 wt. % MA and 20 wt. % TPP, LOI increased from 20.9 to 26.6 and the UL94 V-0 rating was achieved. SEM and DSC analyses show that the fire retardants are compatible with PBT and facilitate crystallization of PBT. The occurrence of an interaction between MA + TPP and PBT was elucidated by TGA, dynamic FTIR, and pyrolysis/GC/MS. MA + TPP changes the degradation path of PBT and modifies the compositions of the gas and condensed-phase products.