Synthesis of multifunctional Sb2MoO6 nanoflakes for boosting the fire safety and mechanical strength of ABS resin

• A multifunctional Sb 2 MoO 6 (AM) nanosheet fire retardant has been synthesized. • The addition of 10wt% AM increases tensile strength of ABS by 13%. • The addition of AM nanoflakes significantly increases the char residue of ABS. • The addition of AM reduces the heat release and smoke generation of ABS. To reduce the fire hazard of acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene (ABS), the Sb 2 MoO 6 (AM) nanosheets were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method using SbCl 3 and NaMoO 4 ·2H 2 O as Sb and Mo sources, respectively. At different loading levels (0–10 wt%), the Sb 2 MoO 6 nanoflakes can be uniformly dispersed in the ABS matrix. Compared with pure ABS, the tensile strength of ABS/AM10 composite with 10 wt% of AM increased by 13%, indicative of the reinforcement effect of AM. Moreover, the introduction of AM did not reduce the initial decomposition temperature of ABS composites, but significantly increased the residue at 600 °C, demonstrating the improved carbonization. AM effectively improved the fire safety of ABS, and 5 and 10 wt% of it decreased the peak heat release rate (PHRR) of ABS/AM5 and ABS/AM10 by 19.7% and 32.9%, respectively. The peak smoke production rate (PSPR) of ABS/AM10 was reduced by 32.4% relative to that of ABS. The improved fire safety of ABS/AM composites was mainly attributed to the physical barrier effect of Sb 2 MoO 6 nanosheets. Therefore, this work proposes a feasible approach for the preparation of fire-retardant and strong ABS composites based on metal-oxide nanomaterials.