Study on the effect of modification methods and content of attapulgite on the flame retardancy of polybutylene terephthalate

Abstract This paper examines the influence of modification methods and the content of attapulgite (ATP) on the flame retardancy of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). Different samples of ATP with varying modification methods and contents were blended with PBT to create composites. The composition, stability, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties of the composites were analyzed. The effect mechanism of ATP modification methods and content on the flame retardancy of PBT was analyzed. The results indicate that the addition of ATP enhanced the carbonization and flame retardancy of PBT. The addition of ATP reduced the impact strength of PBT. The inclusion of ball milled modified attapulgite (mp-ATP) resulted in an increase in the tensile strength of PBT. Furthermore, the inclusion of mp-ATP led to a mitigated decrease in the impact strength. The composites with 11%mp-ATP/PBT had the best comprehensive performance. Compared with pure PBT, the peak value of thermal release rate decreased by 70.2%, the total heat release decreased by 27.3%, and the tensile strength increased by 2.9%.