Preparation of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite intercalation‐modified montmorillonite AlPi‐MMT and its effect on the flame retardancy and smoke suppression of thermoplastic polyester elastomer

Abstract An aluminum diethyl hypophosphite intercalation‐modified montmorillonite flame retardant (AlPi‐MMT) is successfully prepared and characterized by FT‐IR, SEM, and X‐ray diffraction. It is found that thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) composites incorporating 15 wt% AlPi‐MMT flame retardant exhibited better char formation and flame retardant properties compared to those incorporating 15 wt% (4:1, w:w) AlPi and MMT. And the char residual of TPEE/AlPi‐MMT at 700°C is 16.17%, which is higher than that of TPEE/AlPi‐MMT at 13.94%. and the former can pass UL‐94 V‐0 rating test while the latter can only pass UL‐94 V‐1 rating test. Afterwards, the combustion performance of TPEE composites is characterized, and it is found that the heat release and smoke release of TPEE/AlPi‐MMT are greatly reduced compared with those of pure TPEE and TPEE/AlPi/MMT, which is a flame retardant and smoke suppressant TPEE composite. Finally, by analyzing the residual char morphology and elements of TPEE composites after combustion, the mechanism of the flame retardant AlPi‐MMT to promote char formation and flame retardancy is demonstrated.