Thermal oxidative degradation kinetics of novel intumescent flame-retardant polypropylene composites

Novel intumescent flame-retardant polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared based on a char-forming agent (CFA) and silica-gel microencapsulated APP (Si-MCAPP). The thermal oxidative degradation kinetics of pure PP and the flame-retardant PP composites were investigated using Kissinger method, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method and Coats–Redfern method. The results show that the value of the activation energy of the samples has the same sequence that obtained by three methods. The sample with CFA/Si-MCAPP = 1:3 has highest activation energy, and pure PP has the lowest activation energy. The reaction orders of pure PP and flame-retardant PP composites are also calculated by Coats–Redfern method. The results of thermal oxidative degradation kinetics of flame-retardant PP composites provide useful date for understanding the flame-retardant behaviours of novel intumescent flame-retardant PP composites with different intumescent flame-retardant system.