Co-microencapsulate of ammonium polyphosphate and pentaerythritol in intumescent flame-retardant coatings

Co-microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) [M (A&P)] is prepared using melamine–formaldehyde resin by in situ polymerization method and characterized using energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectra. Thermal stability and fire resistance behavior have been analyzed and compared. The co-microencapsulation of APP and PER leads to a great improvement of its thermal stability investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. The temperature of maximum mass loss rate of M (A&P) is 30 °C higher than that of APP/PER mixture. The flame-retardant effect of M (A&P) in coating composite is evaluated by carbonization volume, flame spread rate, and cone calorimeter. Results show that the flame-retardant properties of M (A&P) in coating composite is much better than that of APP/PER mixture coating composite.     

Evaluation of activation energy conformity derived from model-free non-isothermal predictions and Arrhenius isothermal results

Organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) was used as synergist to enhance the flame-retardant and mechanical properties of poly(butylene succinate)/intumescent flame retardant (PBS/IFR) composites. The flame-retardant, thermal degradation and combustion properties of PBS and its flame-retardant composites were characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, vertical burning (UL-94) test, thermogravimetric analysis, cone calorimeter and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results indicate that PBS/IFR composites exhibit excellent flame retardance when OMMT is at an appropriate content. PBS/IFR composite with 20 wt% IFR and 1.5 wt% OMMT has an LOI of 40.1% and can pass the UL-94 V0 rating. The synergistic effect between OMMT and IFR on the flame-retardant properties of PBS depends on the content of OMMT, and excessive OMMT diminish this synergistic effect. The possible flame-retardant mechanism of OMMT on PBS/IFR composite is proposed. The results of mechanical test also indicate that OMMT can effectively increase the notched impact strength of PBS/IFR composites.     

Synergistic effects between hollow glass microsphere and ammonium polyphosphate on flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane

It is mainly studied that the smoke-suppression properties and synergistic flame-retardant effect of hollow glass microsphere (HM) in flame retardant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites based on ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as a flame-retardant. Also, the smoke suppression properties and flame-retardant effect were investigated by smoke density test (SDT), cone calorimeter test (CCT), limiting oxygen index, and thermogravimetric analysis, separately. The char residues left after CCT were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The data of SDT shows that HM could effectively decrease smoke production of TPU composites. The results of CCT reveal that the system of APP/HM could reduce heat release rate, smoke production rate, and total smoke release. It is shown that APP/HM is a good system with smoke-suppression and synergistic flame-retardant properties in flame-retardant TPU composites.     

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate with epoxy resin shell: preparation,characterization, and application in EP system

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate with an epoxy resin (EP) shell (MCAPP) was prepared by in situ method, and was characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermgravimetric analysis (TGA). Compared to ammonium polyphosphate (APP), MCAPP has smaller particle sizes and lower water solubility. The effect of MCAPP on the fire performance of EP was studied by using limiting oxygen index (LOI) and UL‐94 tests. When the same loading levels of APP or MCAPP were added into EP, the LOI and UL‐94 tests show similar results. Tensile, bending, and impact strengths of the EP/APP and EP/MCAPP composites were also evaluated, and the results indicate that MCAPP has much less negative influence on the mechanical properties than APP. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous improvement in the flame retardancy and water resistance of PP/APP through coating UV-curable pentaerythritol triacrylate onto APP

To improve the flame-retardant efficiency and water resistance of ammonium polyphosphate(APP), the UV-curable pentaerythritol triacrylate(PETA) was used to microencapsulate APP via the UV curing polymerization method. The prepared PETA-microencapsulated APP(PETA-APP) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and thermogravimetric(TG) analysis. PETA-APP was used as intumescent flame retardant(IFR) alone to flame retard polypropylene(PP). The water resistance of PP/PETA-APP composites was investigated, and the effect of PETA on the combustion behaviors of PP/APP composites was studied through limiting oxygen index(LOI), vertical burning test(UL-94) and cone calorimeter(CC) test, respectively. With 40 wt% of PETA-APP, the PP/PETA-APP system could achieve a LOI value of 30.0% and UL-94 V-0 rating after treatment in hot water for 168 h, while the LOI value of the system containing 40 wt% uncoated APP was only 19.2%, and it failed to pass the UL-94 rating. CC test results showed that the heat release rate(HRR), mass loss rate(MLR) and smoke production rate(SPR) of PP/PETAAPP system decreased significantly compared with PP/APP system, especially the peak of HRR was decreased by 51.4%. The mechanism for the improvement of flame reatardancy for PP/PETA-APP composites was discussed based on FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) tests. All these results illustrated that simultaneous improvement of flame retardancy and water resistance for PP/APP was achieved through coating UV-curable PETA onto APP.     

Synthesis of organo-modified α-zirconium phosphate and its effect on the flame retardancy of IFR poly(lactic acid) systems

Novel intumescent flame-retardant poly(lactic acid) (PLA/IFR)/organo-modified α-zirconium phosphate(OZrP) nanocomposites were prepared via incorporation of charring agent (CA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and OZrP into PLA. OZrP was synthesized directly by a solvent thermal method. The morphological characterization of PLA/IFR/OZrP nanocomposites was conducted by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of the OZrP on flame retardancy and the thermal stability of PLA/IFR composites were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94) and cone calorimeter test. The TGA data illustrated that the OZrP could increase the residue and significantly improve the flame retardancy of PLA/IFR/OZrP nanocomposites showing an excellent synergistic effect. The addition of OZrP to the flame-retardant PLA increases the LOI and enhances the UL-94 rating. Cone calorimeter tests gave clear evidence that the incorporation of OZrP into PLA/IFR composites resulted in the significant reduction of the heat release rate (HRR), low total heat release (THR) and high amount of char residues during combustion. The flame-retardant mechanism of PLA/IFR/OZrP nanocomposites may correspond to the intumescent flame-retardant mechanism and catalyzed carbonization mechanism caused by OZrP.     

An efficient halogen-free flame retardant for glass-fibre-reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate)

Compared with poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), glass-fibre-reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate) (GF-PBT) is difficult to flame retard with halogen-free flame retardants. In the present study, the aluminium salt of hypophosphorous acid (AP) was used as a flame retardant for GF-PBT. A series of flame-retardant GF-PBT composites was prepared via melt compounding. The flame retardance and combustion behaviour of the composites were studied by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94) and cone calorimetric test. Thermal behaviours and thermal decomposition kinetics were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) under N₂ atmosphere. The addition of AP to the composites could result in an increased LOI value, a UL-94 V-0 (1.6 mm) classification and a better fire performance in cone calorimetric tests. The char morphology observation after flame-retardant tests, calculation of decomposition kinetics, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infra-red spectral analysis of the char residue confirmed the condensed-phase flame-retardant mechanism. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the flame-retardant composites were not deteriorated, retaining an acceptable level.     

A method for simultaneously improving the flame retardancy and toughness of PLA

In order to modify the brittleness and flame retardant properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a series of flame retardant toughened PLA composites were prepared using poly(ethylene glycol) 6000 (PEG6000) as a toughening and charring agent together with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as an acid source and blowing agent. The fire and thermal behavior of PLA/PEG/APP composites was evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94, cone calorimeter, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the PLA/PEG/APP system had good charring ability and could improve the flame retardancy of PLA. When the content of APP in the composites was more than 5 wt%, all samples could reach UL‐94 V‐0 rating. The results of mechanical property tests demonstrated that the brittleness of PLA was also improved after blended with PEG6000. All the PLA/PEG/APP composites with an APP content of less than 10 wt% showed an obvious neck and fracture behavior, that is, the tensile behavior of PLA was changed from brittle to ductile. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergistic effects of cerium phosphate and intumescent flame retardant on EPDM/PP composites

An intumescent flame retardant system composed of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) was used for flame retarding ethylene–propylene–diene‐modified elastomer (EPDM)/polypropylene (PP) blends. Cerium phosphate (CeP) was synthesized and the effect on flame retardancy and thermal stability of EPDM/PP composites based on intumescent flame retardant (IFR) were studied by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94, and thermogravimetic analysis (TGA), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) were used to analyze the morphological structure and the component of the residue chars formed from the EPDM/PP composites, and the mechanical properties of the materials were also studied. The addition of CeP to the EPDM/PP/APP/PER composites gives better flame retardancy than that of EPDM/PP/APP/PER composites. TGA and RT‐FTIR studies indicated that an interaction occurs among APP, PER, and EPDM/PP. The incorporation of CeP improved the mechanical properties of the materials. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of TiO2 particles and APP on combustion behavior and mechanical properties of flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane

The experimental investigation on combustion behavior and mechanical properties of flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane were performed in the article. By the masterbatch-melt blending technique, the TiO₂ particles were well dispersed in TPU/APP composites. The microscopic morphology structure was observed by TEM and SEM. TEM images of TPU–TiO₂ masterbatch material showed that the grain sizes of TiO₂ particles were 200–400 nm. The SEM result indicated that the TiO₂ particles could enhance compatibility and dispersion of APP in TPU. The mechanical properties of TPU composites were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests, respectively. The DMA results indicated that TiO₂ particles could improve the viscoelastic property of the TPU/APP composites. The tensile strength achieved a significant improvement with addition of TiO₂ particles. APP/TiO₂-5 obtains a better value of 344% than APP-1 (277%). Also, the flame-retardant property and thermal stability of the TPU composites were characterized using cone calorimeter test (CCT) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The CCT results revealed that TiO₂ particles could enhance the flame-retardant property of APP in TPU. The peak heat release rate of APP/TiO₂-4 containing 0.5% TiO₂ decreased to 157.27 kW m^?2 from 225.5 kW m^?2 of APP-1 sample without any TiO₂. The TiO₂ particles could promote the formation of carbon layers which restrict the diffusion of fuels into combustion zone and access of oxygen to the underlying materials. The TGA results indicated that TiO₂ can improve the thermal stability of TPU/APP composites.

     

苯基次磷酸盐离聚物/聚磷酸铵协效阻燃增韧改性聚乳酸

通过将双端羟基的聚己内酯(PCL)、聚乳酸(PLA)预聚物以及苯基次磷酸离子盐扩链得到一种含苯基次磷酸盐的离子共聚物,将其与聚磷酸铵(APP)复合用于协同改性聚乳酸,离聚物中苯基次磷酸盐结构与APP具有优异的协同阻燃PLA的作用,同时该离聚物中PLA与苯基次磷酸盐结构有效提升了APP在PLA中的分散能力,最后该离聚物中PCL柔性链段有效改善了PLA的韧性,最终得到更高效阻燃性能且韧性也较好改善的PLA/PCLA-PIU/APP复合材料.一方面,离聚物中苯基次磷酸盐结构与APP协同有效促进了PLA的成炭,形成更连续致密的炭层从而阻隔可燃气体的释放,达到更好的阻燃效果.锥形量热、残炭的扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、能谱分析(EDS)、拉曼光谱等测试证实了这一结果,与纯PLA以及仅使用APP的PLA/APP相比,PLA/PCLA-PIU/APP的热释放速率与总热释放均降低,同时残炭的石墨化程度更高,形成了更为致密的炭层.另一方面,力学性能测试结果表明,离聚物中PCL柔性链段的存在使得与APP复合改性后的PLA的韧性相比纯PLA和PLA/APP有较大的提升;SEM测试表明,离聚物中PLA与苯基次磷酸盐结构起到增容作用,提升了APP在PLA中的分散性.     

聚磷酸铵-苯并噁嗪微胶囊的制备及其对环氧树脂燃烧性能影响

以多聚甲醛、丙烯胺、苯酚为原料,通过Mannich反应合成烯丙基型苯并噁嗪单体(Bala),并通过核磁共振氢谱(~1H-NMR)确定了其化学结构.将Bala在聚磷酸铵(APP)原位开环聚合后,制备APP微胶囊(BMAPP).傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)和静态接触角测试表明,Bala在APP表面成功聚合,并有效提高APP的疏水性,与纯APP相比,BMAPP的接触角从10.8°提高到了71.3°.将BMAPP添加到环氧树脂(EP)中,制备EP/BMAPP复合材料.通过热重分析仪(TGA)、垂直燃烧(UL-94)、极限氧指数(LOI)、锥型量热仪(CONE)和动态热机械分析仪(DMA)对EP和EP/BMAPP的热性能以及燃烧性能进行对比分析.结果显示,10%的BMAPP的成炭效果最佳,有良好的阻燃性能,可使EP的LOI值从22.6%提高到33.6%,并通过UL-94 V-0级,600°C下残炭率达26.3%.同时,BMAPP可大幅度降低EP燃烧过程中烟密度和热释放速率,提高EP的玻璃化转变温度(T_g).BMAPP/EP-10%中,PBala和APP协同后使EP热释放速率峰值(PHRR)由1247 kW·m~(-2)降低到434 kW·m~(-2),生烟速率(SPR)降低67%左右,T_g从169°C提高到了173°C.     

Carbon Fibers Decorated by Polyelectrolyte Complexes Toward Their Epoxy Resin Composites with High Fire Safety

The achievement of both robust fire-safety and mechanical properties is of vital requirement for carbon fiber(CF) composites.To this end, a facile interfacial strategy for fabricating flame-retardant carbon fibers decorated by bio-based polyelectrolyte complexes(PEC) consisting of chitosan(CH) and ammonium polyphosphate(APP) was developed, and its corresponding fire-retarded epoxy resin composites(EP/(PEC@CF)) without any other additional flame retardants were prepared. The decorated CFs were characterized by SEMEDX, XPS and XRD, indicating that the flame-retardant PEC coating was successfully constructed on the surface of CF. Thanks to the nitrogen-and phosphorous-containing PEC, the resulting composites exhibited excellent flame retardancy as the limiting oxygen index(LOI) increased from 31.0% of EP/CF to 40.5% and UL-94 V-0 rating was achieved with only 8.1 wt% PEC. EP/(PEC8.1@CF) also performed well in cone calorimetry with the decrease of peak-heat release rate(PHRR) and smoke production rate(SPR) by 50.0% and30.4%, respectively, and the value of fire growth rate(FIGRA) was also reduced to 3.41 kW·m~(-2)·s~(-1) from 4.84 kW·m~(-2)·s~(-1), suggesting a considerably enhanced fire safety. Furthermore, SEM images of the burning residues revealed that the PEC coating exhibited the dominant flame-retardant activity in condensed phase via the formation of compact phosphorus-rich char. In addition, the impact strength of the composite was improved, together with no obvious deterioration of flexural properties and glass transition temperature. Taking advantage of the features, the PEC-decorated carbon fibers and the relevant composites fabricated by the cost-effective and facile strategy would bring more chances for widespread applications.     

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate with urea–melamine–formaldehyde shell: preparation,characterization, and its flame retardance in polypropylene

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (MCU‐APP) with urea–melamine–formaldehyde (UMF) resin is prepared by in situ polymerization, and is characterized by FTIR and XPS. The microencapsulation of APP with the UMF resin leads to a decrease in the particle's water solubility. The flame retardant actions of MCU‐APP and APP in PP are studied using limiting oxygen index (LOI) and UL‐94 test, and their thermal stability is evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. It is found that the LOI value of the PP/MCU‐APP composite is higher than the value of the PP/APP composite. In comparison with the PP/MCU‐APP composites, the LOI values of the PP/MCU‐APP/DPER ternary composites at the same additive loading increase, and UL‐94 ratings of most ternary composites are raised to V‐0. The water‐resistant properties of the PP composites containing APP and MCU‐APP are studied. Moreover, the combustion behavior of the PP composites is investigated by the cone calorimeter. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficiently halogen-free flame-retardant long-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene system

In order to solve the “candlewick effect” caused by glass fibers, which results in the decrease of flame retardancy of flame-retardant long-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (LGFPP) systems, and the deterioration of mechanical properties caused by adding an additional amount of flame retardants compared with flame-retardant non-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene systems so as to keep a same flame retardancy, a novel intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system, which is composed of a charring agent (CA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and organically-modified montmorillonite (OMMT), was used to flame retard LGFPP. The thermal stability, combustion behavior, char formation, flame retardant mechanism and mechanical properties of the IFR-LGFPP samples were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 test, cone calorimeter test, scanning electronic microscopy, and mechanical property tests. When the content of IFR is 20 wt%, the LOI value of IFR-LGFPP reaches 31.3, and the vertical burning test reaches UL-94 V-0 rating, solving the “candlewick effect” caused by long glass fiber without additional amount of the IFR. All the relevant cone calorimeter parameters also show that IFR-LGFPP has much better flame-retardant behaviors than LGFPP. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of IFR-LGFPP almost remain unchanged in comparison with those of LGFPP containing no IFR. The flame retardant mechanism was also discussed.     

MCM-41分子筛担载纳米TiO2复合材料光催化降解罗丹明B

采用溶胶-凝胶法将TiO2担载在介孔MCM-41分子筛上, 制备了不同TiO2含量的系列TiO2/MCM-41复合材料, 利用X射线衍射、N2吸附、紫外-可见光谱和透射电镜等方法对其进行表征. TiO2的晶型为锐钛矿相, 复合材料的比表面积和孔体积随其中TiO2担载量(复合材料中TiO2与MCM-41的质量比)的增加而减小, TiO2的平均粒径随其担载量的增加而增大. 以罗丹明B的光催化降解为探针反应, 评价了TiO2/MCM-41复合材料的光催化降解活性. 结果表明, 在紫外光照射下, 罗丹明B在该复合材料上的光催化降解反应遵循一级反应动力学, 复合材料对罗丹明B的光催化降解活性明显高于商用TiO2 (P-25), 复合材料的光催化降解活性由复合材料的吸附能力和所含TiO2的光催化活性共同决定.     

Co-microencapsulate of ammonium polyphosphate and pentaerythritol and kinetics of its thermal degradation

Co-microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) (M (A&P)) is prepared using melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin by in situ polymerization method, and characterized by Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Thermal stability of M (A&P) has been analyzed and compared with APP/PER mixture. In air atmosphere, the mass loss of M (A&P) at different heating rates was investigated using TGA. The kinetics of thermal degradation and activation energy was described using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger methods. It showed that there were two degradation stages. Expanded carbon structure with honeycomb was formed in the first stage between 200 and 450 °C. The second stage was the oxidation of carbon with E_a as high as 151.7 kJ/mol, so the expanded carbon had a good thermal stability. The reaction order of thermal degradation was found to be 0.935, so the mechanism of M (A&P) thermal degradation was controlled by the process of random nuclear formation and growth.     

Joint‐aggregation intumescent flame‐retardant effect of ammonium polyphosphate and charring agent in polypropylene

In order to explore the structure mode of intumescent flame retardants (IFRs) with higher efficiency, IFR particles with joint‐aggregation structure (@IFR) were obtained through the treatment of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and a charring agent (PT‐Cluster) in their aqueous solution. Then, the joint‐aggregation IFR effect was researched using its application in polypropylene. In case of 20 wt% IFR loading, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of @IFR/PP was 1.1% higher than that of 15APP/5PT‐Cluster/PP mixture, and a 1.6 mm‐thick @IFR/PP composite passed the UL 94 V‐2 rating test, while 15APP/5PT‐Cluster/PP demonstrated no flame‐retardant rating in UL 94 vertical burning tests. In a cone calorimeter test, @IFR also had a better inhibition effect on heat release. The average heat release rate (av‐HRR) value during 0 to 120 seconds of @IFR/PP was only 41 kW m^?2, which was 33.9% lower than that of the 15APP/5PT‐Cluster/PP. Furthermore, the peak heat release rate (pk‐HRR) of @IFR/PP was 20.5% lower than that of 15APP/5PT‐Cluster/PP, and the time to pk‐HRR of @IFR/PP was 710 seconds, while that of 15APP/5PT‐Cluster/PP was 580 seconds. The better inhibition effect on HRR and the delay of time to pk‐HRR were caused by the joint‐aggregated structure of @IFR, which can rapidly react to form stable and efficient char layers. This kind of join‐aggregation IFR effect has great significance in suppressing the spread of fire in reality. In addition, @IFR also increased the mechanical properties of PP composites slightly compared with the APP/PT‐Cluster mixture.     

Removal of complexed mercury by dithiocarbamate grafted on mesoporous silica

Mesoporous silica (MCM-41) with d ₍₁₀₀₎ interplanar distance of 38 Å was prepared by a room temperature process through low surfactant templation technique. The surface of MCM-41 was functionalized with dithiocarbamate (dtc) ligand, named as MCM-41-dtc and this was characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, particle size analysis, ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra and sulphur analysis. The sorption of mercury from 0.1M HCl solution by MCM-41-dtc was studied as a function of pH, [Hg²⁺], time and temperature. The sorption data obtained at various initial concentrations of mercury were fitted into Langmuir adsorption model. Mercury speciation in solution and the sorption capacity measurements indicated possible formation of a 1 : 1 square planar complex in the solid phase. A very rapid sorption of mercury was observed in the initial stages of equilibration, which can be attributed to the large surface area, wide porosity and fine particle size of MCM-41-dtc, facilitating facile accessibility of mercury into the inner pores of the sorbent. The enthalpy change accompanied by the sorption of mercury was found to decrease from 83.7 to 6.2 kJ/mol, when the initial concentration of mercury was increased from 5^.10^-4M to 1.5^.10^-3M.     

Synthesis of a novel ionic liquid containing phosphorus and its application in intumescent flame retardant polypropylene system

A novel ionic liquid containing phosphorus ([PCMIM]Cl) was synthesized and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ³¹P NMR. Moreover, a new intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system, which was composed of [PCMIM]Cl and ammonium polyphosphate (APP), was used to impart flame retardancy and dripping resistance to polypropylene (PP). The flammability and thermal behaviors of intumescent flame‐retarded PP (PP/IFR) composites were evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and cone calorimeter test. It was found that there was an obvious synergistic effect between [PCMIM]Cl and APP. When the weight ratio of [PCMIM]Cl and APP was 1:5 and the total amount of IFR was kept at 30 wt%, LOI value of PP/IFR composite reached 31.8, and V‐0 rating was obtained. Moreover, both the peak heat release rate and the peak mass loss rate of PP/IFR composites decreased significantly relative to PP and PP/APP composite from cone calorimeter analysis. The TGA curves suggested that [PCMIM]Cl had good ability of char formation, and when combined with APP, it could greatly promote the char formation of PP/IFR composites, hence improved the flame retardancy. Additionally, the rheological behaviors and mechanical properties of PP/IFR composites were also investigated, and it was found that [PCMIM]Cl could also serve as an efficient lubricant and compatibilizer between APP and PP, endowing the materials with satisfying processability and mechanical properties. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.