Synthetic hydromagnesite as flame retardant. Evaluation of the flame behaviour in a polyethylene matrix

Synthetic hydromagnesite obtained from an industrial by-product was evaluated as a non-halogenated flame retardant. It was used in combination with aluminium hydroxide (ATH) and compared with commercial flame retardants like magnesium hydroxide (MH) and natural hydromagnesite-huntite (U) in a polyolefin system of low-density polyethylene/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (LDPE/EVA).The thermal stability and flame behaviour of the halogen free flame retarded composites were studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), epiradiateur and cone calorimeter. It has been shown that synthetic hydromagnesite could be an alternative solution to the use of MH in non-halogenated flame retardant systems in EVA.     

A review on flame retardant technology in China. Part I: development of flame retardants

This paper provides an insight into some developments in flame retardants for different polymeric materials in China, primarily based on the publications that have appeared in the last 15 years. It focuses on the following aspects: halogen‐containing flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants (e.g. metal oxides and hydroxides, silicon‐containing materials, ammonium polyphosphate, red phosphorus, and expandable graphite), and organic flame retardants (e.g. aliphatic and aromatic phosphonates, nitrogen‐containing organics, and multi‐element organics). The inherently flame‐retardant polymer systems are also reviewed. The exploration of the novel flame retardants and flame‐retardant systems provides a powerful basis for the construction of flame‐retardant technologies and industrial applications in China. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vanillin‐derived phosphorus‐containing compounds and ammonium polyphosphate as green fire‐resistant systems for epoxy resins with balanced properties

Flame retardants from vanillin when utilized together with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) yield excellent synergistic flame retardancy toward epoxy resins. Bisphenol A epoxy resins have been widely used due to their excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance, electrical properties, adhesion, etc., while they are flammable. Environment‐friendly and bio‐based flame retardants have captured increasing attention due to their ecological necessity. In this paper, 3 bio‐based flame retardants were synthesized from abundant and more importantly renewable vanillin, and their chemical structures were determined by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. They were used together with APP (an environment‐friendly commercial flame retardant) to improve the fire resistance of bisphenol A epoxy resin. With the addition APP content of 15 phr, the modified bisphenol A epoxy resin could reach UL‐94V0 rating during vertical burning test and limit oxygen index values of above 35%, but reducing APP content to 10 phr, the flame retardancy became very poor. With the total addition content of 10 phr, the epoxy resins modified by 7 to 9 phr APP and 1 to 3 phr bio‐based flame retardants with epoxy groups or more benzene rings showed excellent flame retardancy with UL‐94V0 rating and limit oxygen index values of around 29%. The T_gs of the epoxy resins could be remained or even increased after introducing bio‐based flame retardants, as the control; those of APP alone‐modified epoxy resins compromised a lot. The green synergistic flame‐retardant systems have a great potential to be used in high‐performance materials.     

Azoalkanes—novel flame retardants and their structure–property relationship

A number of symmetrical and unsymmetrical azoalkanes of the general formula R′?N = N?R and related azoxy, hydrazone as well as azine derivatives have been synthesized in order to assess their potential as novel flame retardants for polypropylene alone or in combination with commercially available flame retardants such as alumina trihydrate (ATH), decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) and tris(3‐bromo‐2,2‐bis(bromomethyl)‐propyl)phosphate (TBBPP). The experimental results show that in the series of different sized azocycloalkanes the flame retardant efficacy decreased in the following order: R = cyclohexyl > cyclopentyl > cyclobutyl > cyclooctanyl >> cyclododecanyl. Whereas in the series of aliphatic azoalkanes compounds the efficacy decreased in the following order: R = n‐alkyl > tert‐butyl > tert‐octyl. In addition, also some of the prepared azoxy, azine, and hydrazone derivatives provide flame retardancy to polypropylene films at already very low concentrations (0.25–1 wt%). Noteworthy is that in contrast to other halogen‐free radical generators, the azoalkanes are also very effective as flame retardants in polypropylene thick moldings. Interestingly, it was found that 4,4′‐bis(cyclohexylazocyclohexyl)‐methane) shows a strong synergistic effect with ATH. Thus, in the presence of 0.5 wt% of azoalkane the ATH loading could be reduced from 60 to 25 wt% and still UL94 V‐2 rating could be reached. Furthermore, the fire testing data reveal that azoalkanes show a synergistic effect with DecaBDE and when used in conjunction with very low loadings of TBBPP. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of ethyl‐bridged diphenylphosphine oxide on flame retardancy and thermal properties of epoxy resin

Three commercialized flame retardants, 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphinoyl)ethane (EDPO), 6,6‐(1,2‐phenethyl)bis‐6H‐dibenz[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphorin‐6,6‐dioxide (HTP‐6123), and hexa‐phenoxy‐cyclotriphosphazene (HPCTP), were used to prepare the flame retardant diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin (EP) under the same experimental conditions. The effects of T_g, thermal stability, and water absorption properties of EP caused by the three flame retardants were investigated and compared, together with their flame retardant efficiency. Results showed that the introduction of the three flame retardants improved the flame retardant performance of EP but led to decreases in T_g and decomposition temperature. EDPO showed higher flame retardant efficiency than the other two flame retardants. EP/EDPO showed higher thermal stability, better flame retardant performance, higher T_g value, and lower water absorption than EP/HTP‐6123 and EP/HPCTP. The study discovered that EDPO and HTP‐6123 primarily act through the gas phase flame retardant mechanism, while HPCTP is primarily driven by the condensed phase mechanism.     

New reactive additives for interface modification in multicomponent polyolefin systems

New reactive additives were synthesised and used as interface modifiers in different multicomponent polyolefine systems. The synthesis was carried out in computer‐controlled reactor by means of Diels‐Alder reaction and condensation. These additives are capable of combining the benefits of dispersing and coupling agents. A part of the synthesised reactive surfactants have also synergistic effect in flame retardant systems. Their surface‐active character facilitates the reactive compounding. The undesirable transport processes of stabilisers and components of flame‐retardants in polyolefine systems could be effectively controlled by interface modification.     

Synthesis of a novel DPPA‐containing benzoxazine to flame‐retard epoxy resin with maintained thermal properties

The flame‐retarded epoxy resin with improved thermal properties based on environmentally friendly flame retardants is vital for industrial application. Hereby, a novel reactive‐type halogen‐free flame retardant, 10‐(3‐(4‐hydroxy phenyl)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐benzo[e] [1,3] oxazin‐4‐yl)‐5H‐phenophosphazinine 10‐oxide (DHA‐B) was synthesized via a two‐step reaction route. Its structure was characterized using ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR and HRMS spectra. For 4,4′‐diaminodipheny ethane (DDM) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)‐cured systems, the epoxy resin with only 2 wt% loading of DHA‐B passed V‐0 rating of UL‐94 test. Significantly, its glass transition temperature (T_g) and initial decomposition temperature (T_5%) were as high as 169.6°C and 359.6°C, respectively, which were even higher than those of the corresponding original epoxy resin. Besides, DHA‐B decreased the combustion intensity during combustion. The analysis of residues after combustion suggested that DHA‐B played an important role in the condensed phase.     

Synergistic flame‐retardant effect and mechanisms of boron/phosphorus compounds on epoxy resins

To explore the component synergistic effect of boron/phosphorus compounds in epoxy resin (EP), 3 typical boron compounds, zinc borate (ZB), boron phosphate (BPO₄), and boron oxide (B₂O₃), blended with phosphaphenanthrene compound TAD were incorporated into EP, respectively. All 3 boron/phosphorus compound systems inhibited heat release and increased residue yields and exerted smoke suppression effect. Among 3 boron/phosphorus compound systems, B₂O₃/TAD system brought best flame‐retardant effect to epoxy thermosets in improving the UL94 classification of EP composites and also reducing heat release most efficiently during combustion. B₂O₃ can interact with epoxy matrix and enhance the charring quantity and quality, resulting in obvious condensed‐phase flame‐retardant effect. The combination of condensed‐phase flame‐retardant effect from B₂O₃ and the gaseous‐phase flame‐retardant effect from TAD effectively optimized the action distribution between gaseous and condensed phases. Therefore, B₂O₃/TAD system generated component synergistic flame‐retardant effect in epoxy thermosets.     

协效剂对膨胀阻燃聚丙烯基木塑复合材料的阻燃增效研究

赋予木塑复合材料(WPC)的阻燃性能成为近年来该领域国内外的研究热点之一。本文通过两轮正交试验,研究8种常见的协效剂对膨胀型阻燃剂(IFRs,m(聚磷酸铵,APP)∶m(季戊四醇,PER)=2∶1)的阻燃增效作用,筛选出具有显著协效作用的协效剂组MgO/EG(可膨胀石墨)/SiO_2,其组成为m(MgO)∶m(EG)∶m(SiO_2)=1∶5∶5,其与IFRs的最佳配比为m(IFRs)∶m(MgO/EG/SiO_2)=1∶0.18,得到性能良好的阻燃型聚丙烯基木塑复合材料。通过热重分析(TGA)和锥形量热分析(CONE)评价IFRs及协效剂组对聚丙烯(PP)基木塑复合材料(WPC)热稳定性能和阻燃性能的影响。结果表明,IFRs及MgO/EG/SiO_2的加入可以有效提高WPC的热稳定性,WPC/IFRs/MgO/EG/SiO_2600℃的残炭率达到22.42%。WPC/IFRs的热释放速率峰(PHRR)、总热释放量(THR)和总烟释放量(TSP)相比于WPC分别降低了21.9%、8.7%和22%。MgO/EG/SiO_2的加入可以进一步提高IFRs的阻燃效率,WPC/IFRs/MgO/EG/SiO_2的PHRR和THR相比于WPC分别降低了33.0%和13.8%。     

三聚氰胺聚磷酸盐/季戊四醇配比、协效剂组及表面改性对聚丙烯基木塑复合材料的膨胀阻燃影响

通过极限氧指数(LOI)、线性燃烧速率(LBR)、热重分析和锥形量热分析等技术手段研究膨胀型阻燃剂(IFRs)中三聚氰胺聚磷酸盐(MPP)和季戊四醇(PER)的质量比、组成为m(MgO):m(可膨胀石墨,EG):m(SiO₂)=1:5:5的协效剂组(MgO/EG/SiO₂)和硅烷偶联剂(KH550)对聚丙烯基木塑复合材料(WPC)阻燃性能的影响。 结果表明,当IFRs中m(MPP):m(PER)=23:2(IFRs-M1)、质量分数为25%时的阻燃性能最佳,膨胀阻燃复合材料WPC/IFRs-M1的LOI和LBR分别为27.1%和3.89 mm/min,较未添加的WPC分别提高48.1%和下降89.79%,燃烧时的热释放速率、总热释放量、总烟释放量和CO₂释放量分别降低了76.2%、50.1%、6.9%和65.4%,600 ℃时的残炭率提高了498.3%。 协效剂组和KH550表面处理均可进一步改善WPC/IFRs-M1的阻燃性能,均对IFRs-M1具有良好的阻燃增效作用。 相比于WPC/IFRs-M1,同时用这两种阻燃增效手段的WPC/IFRs-M1/MgO/EG/SiO₂/KH550,其LOI提高了3.7%,LBR降低了20.3%;材料的热稳定性明显提高,热失重降低;燃烧时的热释放速率、总热释放量、总烟释放量和CO₂释放量分别降低了36.5%、37.6%、57.5%和33.33%,600 ℃时的残炭率提高了84.02%,显示出二者更好的协同效应。     

Influence of Fe‐MMT on the fire retarding behavior and mechanical property of (ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer/magnesium hydroxide) composite

In this work, Fe‐montmorillonite (Fe‐MMT) is synthesized and used as a synergistic agent in ethylene vinyl acetate/magnesium hydroxide (EVA/MH) flame retardant formulations. The synergistic effect of Fe‐MMT with magnesium hydroxide (MH) as the halogen‐free flame retardant for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting the oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94, and cone calorimetry test. Compared with that of Na‐MMT, it indicates that the synergistic effects of Fe‐MMT enhance the LOI value of EVA/MH polymer and improve the thermal stability and reduce the heat release rate (HRR). The structure and morphology of nanocomposites are studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical properties of the EVA composites have also been studied here, indicating that the use of Fe‐MMT reduces the amount of inorganic fillers. MH hence enhances the mechanical properties of the EVA composite while keeping the UL‐94 V‐0 rating. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergistic effects of 4A zeolite on the flame retardant properties and thermal stability of a novel halogen‐free PP/IFR composite

The synergistic effects of 4A zeolite (4A) on the thermal degradation, flame retardancy and char formation of a novel halogen‐free intumescent flame retardant polypropylene composites (PP/IFR) were investigated by the means of limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL‐94), digital photos, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cone calorimeter test (CCT), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that a small amount of 4A could dramatically enhance the LOI value of the PP/IFR systems and the materials could pass the UL‐94 V‐0 rating test. Also, it could enhance the fire retardant performance with a great reduction in combustion parameters of PP/IFR system from CCT test. The morphological structures observed by digital and SEM photos revealed that 4A could promote PP/IFR to form more continuous and compact intumescent char layer. The LRS measurement, XPS and TGA analysis demonstrated that the compactness and strength of the outer char surface of the PP/IFR/4A system was enhanced, and more graphite structure was formed to remain more char residue and increase the crosslinking degree. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A flame‐retardant DOPO‐MgAl‐LDH was prepared and applied in poly (methyl methacrylate) resin

A novel inorganic and organic composite flame retardant (9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene‐10‐oxide [DOPO]–layered double hydroxide [LDH]) was synthesized via grafting DOPO with organic‐modified Mg/Al‐LDH, which was introduced into poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resin to prepare the flame‐retardant PMMA composites. Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) showed that the T_‐50% of DOPO‐LDH/PMMA composites enhanced by about 20°C, and with the 20% flame retardant, the residual char content can be increased by 39.8% in the air atmosphere compared with LDH/PMMA composites. In the UL‐94 and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) tests, it can be found that compared with LDH/PMMA composites, the LOI value of DOPO‐LDH/PMMA composites were raised evidently with the increased flame retardants, and the droplet combustion was greatly improved. These results could be ascribed to the action of DOPO free‐radical, catalytic charring of polymer and the effect of LDH physical barrier. Moreover, the novel DOPO‐LDH not only given PMMA a good flame‐retardant property and thermal stability, but also have higher visible light transmittance, ultraviolet‐shielding effect, and low loss of mechanical properties, which could further facilitate the wide application of inorganic environment‐friendly flame retardants in general resins and engineering resins and broaden the application of polymers.     

Bubbles and collapses: Fire phenomena of flame‐retarded flexible polyurethane foams

Flexible polyurethane foams (FPUF) are easy to ignite and exhibit rapid flame spread. In this paper, the fire phenomena of two standard foam formulations containing tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (FR‐2) and a halogen‐freepoly (ethyl ethylene phosphate) (PNX), respectively, as flame retardants are compared. A multi‐methodological approach is proposed which combines standard fire tests as well as new investigatory approaches. The thermophysical properties of the foams were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), reaction to small flames was studied by means of the limiting oxygen index (LOI) and UL 94 HBF test, and the burning behavior was investigated with the cone calorimeter. Further, temperature development in burning cone calorimeter samples was monitored using thermocouples, and rheological measurements were performed on pyrolyzed material, delivering insight into the dripping behavior of the foams. This paper gives comprehensive insight into the fire phenomena of flame‐retarded FPUFs that are driven by the two‐step decomposition behavior of the foams. LOI and UL 94 HBF tests showed a reduced flammability and reduced tendency to drip for the flame‐retarded foams. TG and cone calorimeter measurements revealed that the two‐step decomposition behavior causes two stages during combustion, namely structural collapse and pool fire. The flame‐retardant mode of action was identified to take place primarily during the foam collapse and be based mainly on flame inhibition. However, some condensed‐phase action was been measured, leading to significantly increased melt viscosity and improved dripping behavior for foams containing PNX.     

Synthesis and characteristics of a novel silicon‐containing flame retardant and its application in poly[2,2‐propane‐(bisphenol)carbonate]/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

Novel halogen‐free compounds [9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphanthrene‐10‐oxide/vinyl methyl dimethoxysilane/N‐β‐(aminoethyl)‐γ‐aminopropyl methyl dimethoxysilane (DOPO–VMDMS–NMDMS)] that simultaneously contain phosphorus, nitrogen, and silicon have been synthesized through the reaction of 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphanthrene‐10‐oxide (DOPO), vinyl methyl dimethoxysilane (VMDMS), and N‐β‐(aminoethyl)‐γ‐aminopropyl methyl dimethoxysilane (NMDMS). The chemical structure and properties of DOPO–VMDMS–NMDMS have been investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, phosphorous nuclear magnetic resonance, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These synthesized flame retardants have been blended with a poly[2,2‐propane‐(bisphenol) carbonate]/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) alloy. The flame‐retardant properties of these mixture samples have been estimated with the limiting oxygen index (LOI), and the thermal stability has been characterized with TGA. The LOI value of PC/ABS/DOPO–VMDMS–NMDMS is enhanced up to 27.2 vol % from 21.2 vol %, and the char yield is also improved slightly (from 12 to 17%) with 2.8 wt % phosphorus, 3.0 wt % silicon, and 0.5 wt % nitrogen (at a 30 wt % loading of DOPO–VMDMS–NMDMS). The results show that there is a synergistic effect of the elements phosphorus, silicon, and nitrogen on the flame retardance. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1542–1551, 2007     

反应性挤出加工制备无卤阻燃高分子材料

聚合物反应性加工集聚合物加工与化学反应为一体,以聚合物加工装置为反应器,通过聚合物加工过程中的化学反应形成新物质和新结构,实现高分子材料的高性能化和功能化,是高分子材料科学的研究前沿之一.本文简要介绍了我们研究小组近年来采用反应性挤出加工制备高性能无卤阻燃高分子材料方面的研究进展.利用反应性挤出加工剪切力强、温度可控以及易于传质传热的特点实现了常规方法难以合成的高黏阻燃剂三聚氰胺磷酸盐季戊四醇酯（MPP）和三聚氰胺氰尿酸（MCA）的高效合成,制备了综合性能优良的聚丙烯/MPP、尼龙6/MCA等无卤阻燃高分子材料.研究所涉及的化学和物理方法,为聚合物无卤阻燃提供了高效、经济、环保和易于工业化的新技术,并拓宽了聚合物反应性加工的应用领域.     

Reaction of melamine phosphate with pentaerythritol and its products for flame retardation of polypropylene

Due to being halogen‐free, non‐toxic, non‐erosive and environmentally friendly, melamine‐based flame retardants are attracting more and more attention. As a melamine‐based intumescent flame retardant, in this study the melamine salt of pentaerythritol phosphate (MPP) was prepared from melamine phosphate (MP) and pentaerythritol (PER). The reaction of MP with PER was then systematically investigated. The reaction product MPP was utilized to flame‐retard polypropylene (PP). FT‐IR, TGA and DSC were used to characterize MPP and also to investigate the reaction of MP and PER in depth. The experimental results show that MPP has good thermal stability and matched decomposition temperature with that of PP, making it suitable for flame retarding of PP. Also, MPP is melting‐blendable due to its softening during the heating process. The structure of MPP at a MP:PER molar ratio of 2.0 was confirmed as the same to that of the product synthesized from phosphorus oxychloride, pentaerythritol and melamine. The reaction of MP with PER was greatly influenced by the MP:PER proportion, reaction temperature and reaction time, rather than the physical state of PER, and the reaction mechanism of MP with PER was proposed. The prepared flame‐retarded polypropylene composite with 35 wt% intumescent flame‐retardant MPP has a flame retarding level of 3.2 mm UL 94 V‐0, tensile strength 27.0 MPa, Young's modulus 2442 MPa and Izod notched impact strength 3.8 kJ/m². Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergistic effects of β‐cyclodextrin containing silicone oligomer on intumescent flame retardant polypropylene system

The effects of β‐cyclodextrin containing silicone oligomer(CDS), as a synergistic agent, on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of intumescent flame retardant polypropylene composites were studied by adding different amounts of CDS in intumescent flame retardants. The limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to evaluate the synergistic effects of CDS in the composites. It was found that after a little amount of CDS partially replaced a charring‐foaming agent (CFA) in IFR, LOI values of the composites were enhanced and they obtained a UL‐94 V‐0 rating. IFR system containing 6.25wt% CDS presented the best flame retardancy in PP. The experimental results obtained from LOI and UL‐94, TGA, SEM, and mechanical properties indicated that the combination of CDS and CFA presents synergistic effects in flame retardancy, char formation, and mechanical properties of the composites. This is probably due to different structures of polyhydroxyl macromolecules (CDS and CFA), the existence of dimethyl silicone group in CDS, and the toughness of epoxy silicon chain in CDS. SEM results proved that the interfacial compatibility between IFR and PP was improved by CDS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of piperazine cyanurate by hydrogen‐bonding self‐assembly reaction and its application in intumescent flame‐retardant polypropylene composites

Piperazine cyanurate (PCA) is designed and synthesized via hydrogen‐bonding self‐assembly reactions between piperazine and cyanuric acid. Chemical structure and morphology of PCA are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The prepared PCA is combined with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to prepare flame‐retardant polypropylene (PP) composites. Thermostability, flammability, and combustion characteristics of PP composites are analyzed. The maximum thermal decomposition rate of flame‐retarded PP composites has an apparent reduction compared with that of pure PP, and obvious char is left for this intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system of APP and PCA. A high limiting oxygen index value and UL‐94 V‐0 rating are achieved with addition of APP and PCA. In cone calorimetry test, heat and smoke releases of PP are significantly decreased by this IFR system. Gaseous decomposition products during the thermal decomposition of flame‐retardant composites are studied. Chemical structure and morphology of char residues are analyzed. The results illustrate that APP and PCA have a superb synergistic action in the aspect of improvement in fire safety of PP. A possible flame‐retardant mechanism is concluded to reveal the synergism between APP and PCA.     

The synergistic flame‐retardant effect of O‐MMT on the intumescent flame‐retardant PP/CA/APP systems

The flame retardancy of a novel intumescent flame‐retardant polypropylene (IFR‐PP) system, which was composed of a charring agent (CA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and polypropylene (PP), could be enhanced significantly by adding a small amount (1.0 wt%) of an organic montmorillonite (O‐MMT). The synergistic flame‐retardant effect was studied systematically. The thermal stability and combustion behavior of the flame‐retarded PP were also investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL‐94), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and cone calorimeter test (CCT). TGA results demonstrated that the onset decomposition temperatures of IFR‐PP samples, with or without O‐MMT, were higher than that of neat PP. Compared with IFR‐PP, the LOI value of IFR‐PP containing 1.0 wt% O‐MMT was increased from 30.8 to 33.0, and the UL‐94 rating was also enhanced to V‐0 from V‐1 when the total loading of flame retardant was the same. The cone calorimeter results showed that the IFR‐PP with 1.0 wt% of O‐MMT had the lowest heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), total smoke production (TSP), CO production (COP), CO₂ production (CO₂P), and mass loss (ML) of all the studied IFR‐PP samples, with or without O‐MMT. All these results indicated that O‐MMT had a significantly synergistic effect on the flame‐retardancy of IFR‐PP at a low content of O‐MMT. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.