Mechanical and flame-retardant properties of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene/carbon nanotube composites containing bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate)

The uniform dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was achieved in the styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEES) coated by liquid bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BDP), a halogen-free flame retardant. It was found that most of CNTs existed in a filamentous stretched state. Compared with pure SEBS, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the SEBS/3 wt.% CNTs composite with 5 wt.% BDP (SEBS-3), were increased by 114% and 225%, respectively. The temperature of 50% weight loss under air condition increased from 351 degrees C of pure SEBS to 437 degrees C of the SEBS-3. Meanwhile, the limited oxygen index value and UL-94 tests of the SEBS-3 reached 25.5% and V-0, respectively. More importantly, this method endowed the SEBS/BDPICNT composites with the good mechanical and flame-retardant properties, broadening their scope of application, reducing their cost. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.