Flame Retardant Nanocomposites of Polystyrene-Modified Sepiolite Clay

Flame retardancy is the property that is highly demanded when it comes to deal with plastics in different industries. In this research general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and modified sepiolite clay are melt blended together to fabricate flame retardant nanocomposites. Structural analysis were performed with the help of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Morphological analysis of the fabricated nanocomposites were carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM). As a result of better clay dispersion in polymer matrix and intermolecular interactions, mechanical properties are also improved. The standard procedure (ASTM D4986-20) was followed for observing the flame retardancy of the fabricated nanocomposites. Tangible decrease is noted upto 48% in burning rate of the optimum sample which reflects improvement in flame retardancy.