title: Preparation of zinc hydroxystannate-decorated graphene oxide nanohybrids and their synergistic reinforcement on reducing fire hazards of flexible poly (vinyl chloride).
abstract: A novel flame retardant, zinc hydroxystannate-decorated graphene oxide (ZHS/GO) nanohybrid, was successfully prepared and well characterized. Herein, the ZHS nanoparticles could not only enhance the flame retardancy of GO with the synergistic flame-retardant effect of ZHS but also prevent the restack of GO to improve the mechanical properties of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix. The structure characterization showed ZHS nanoparticles were bonded onto the surface of GO nanosheets and the ZHS nanoparticles were well distributed on the surface of GO. Subsequently, resulting ZHS/GO was introduced into flexible PVC and fire hazards and mechanical properties of PVC nanocomposites were investigated. Compared to neat PVC, thermogravimetric analysis exhibited that the addition of ZHS/GO into PVC matrix led to an improvement of the charring amount and thermal stability of char residue. Moreover, the incorporation of 5 wt.% ZHS/GO imparted excellent flame retardancy to flexible PVC, as shown by increased limiting oxygen index, reduced peak heat release rate, and total heat release tested by an oxygen index meter and a cone calorimeter, respectively. In addition, the addition of ZHS/GO nanohybrids decreased the smoke products and increased the tensile strength of PVC. Above-excellent flame-retardant properties are generally attributed to the synergistic effect of GO and ZHS, containing good dispersion of ZHS/GO in PVC matrix, the physical barrier of GO, and the catalytic char function of ZHS.
authors.affiliation: National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Petrochemical Engineering, Puyang Vocational and Technical College, Huanghe Road, Puyang, 457000, Henan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Laicheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China. zhiweili@henu.edu.cn.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China. zhiweili@henu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Laigui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhishen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Flame retardant; Graphene oxide; Nanohybrid; Nanoparticle; Synergistic effect; Zinc hydroxystannate