Aromatic polyamides. XI. Effect of the halogen substitution on the thermal and flammability behavior of poly(1,4-phenylene terephthalamide)

This article concerns the synthesis and characterization of poly(1,4-phenylene terephthalamide) and halogenated derivatives thereof. It was found that the halogen substitution affected significantly the thermal characteristic and flame resistance of that polyamide. In a nonoxygen atmosphere two-step decomposition process for the halogenated, while only one-step for unsubstituted polyamides were observed. The results supported the previous suggestion, that in the case of the halogenated polyamides the char yield enhancement and the flame resistance improvement are associated with halogen release and ring-forming reactions during their pyrolysis.