On flame retardancy in polycaprolactam composites by aluminium diethylphosphinate and melamine polyphosphate in conjunction with organically modified montmorillonite nanoclay

The effect on flame retardancy in polycaprolactam composites with the combination of aluminium diethylphosphinate and melamine polyphosphate, and, organically modified montmorillonite nanoclay was investigated. TGA, DSC, TGA-FTIR and FTIR-ATR were applied to assess the condensed phase action of the flame retardants. A mechanism for the decomposition of polycaprolactam and its interaction with the flame retardants is deduced. The outcome of this study implies that combining both flame retardants results in an enhanced effect when compared with their application on a separate basis.