Effects of Nano-Filler on the Thermal and Fire-Resistant Properties of Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer

Sepiolite (S9, B10, B20, B40) and boehmite have been added to an intumecent flame retardant (IFR) system to produce the halogen-free and fire-resistant ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVM) rubber. The rubber contains ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as acid source, double pentaerythritol (D-PER) as carbon source and melamine (MN) as gas source. The effects of nano-filler sepiolite and boehmite on the fire-resistant property of EVM rubber based on IFR system were investigated. The test results show that the system with nano-filler of sepiolite B10 has the best fire-resistant property. The process of smoke emission and thermal decomposition, the element composition of char surface and the micro morphology of intumecent char layer of the EVM IFR system with nano-filler were also studied by NBS chamber, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM).