Controllable fabrication of zinc borate hierarchical nanostructure on brucite surface for enhanced mechanical properties and flame retardant behaviors.
A novel and efficient halogen-free composite flame retardant (CFR) consisting of a brucite core and a fine zinc borate [Zn6O(OH)(BO3)3] hierarchical nanostructure shell was designed and synthesized via a facile nanoengineering route. It had been demonstrated that this unique hybrid structure possessed a high BET specific surface area (65 m(2)/g) and could significantly enhance the interfacial interaction when mixing with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). This improved the transfer of stress between CFR particles and EVA matrix and increased the viscosity of EVA/EVA blends, which was beneficial for droplet inhibition and char forming. The mechanical properties and flammability behaviors of the EVA/CFR blends had been compared with the EVA/physical mixture (PM, with the given proportion of brucite and Zn6O(OH)(BO3)3). The mechanical properties of EVA/CFR blends, especially the tensile strength (TS), presented a remarkable increase reaching at least a 20% increment. Meanwhile, with the same 45 wt % of fillers, the EVA/CFR formulation could achieve a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 33 (37.5 % higher than that of EVA/PM blends) and UL-94 V-0 rating. Moreover, the heat release rate (HRR), peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat released (THR), smoke production rate (SPR) and mass loss rate (MLR) were considerably reduced, especially PHRR and SPR for EVA/CFR blends were reduced to 32%. According to this study, the design of fine structure might pave the way for the future development of halogen-free flame retardants combining both enhanced mechanical properties and excellent flame retardant behaviors.
Recent advances in the use of zinc borates in flame retardancy of EVA
Abstract In this work, zinc borates are used as synergistic agents in EVA–ATH and EVA–Mg(OH) 2 flame-retardant (FR) formulations and as smoke suppressants. Moreover, the study by solid state NMR of the residues sampled at different times during cone calorimeter experiments of the formulations EVA–ATH and EVA–ATH/Zinc borate allows to propose a mechanism of action of the FR systems. It is demonstrated that the decomposition of Aluminium trihydroxide (ATH) to Al 2 O 3 during the heating of the polymer results in an increase of the ignition time. Moreover the formation of Al 2 O 3 in situ from ATH during the combustion of the polymer is the first event. Concurrently zinc borate degrades and it is proposed that a vitreous protective coating is created, which yields a more efficient char.
Highly enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of β-methyl-γ-monofluoromethyl-substituted alcohols.
Enanatiopure β-methyl-γ-monofluoromethyl alcohols were prepared from the allylic alkylation between fluorobis(phenylsulfonyl)methane with Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates. The reaction was catalyzed by using the Cinchona alkaloid derivative, (DHQD)(2)AQN. The origin of the stereoselectivity was verified by DFT methods. Calculated geometries and relative energies of various transition states strongly support the observed stereoselectivity.