(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0168425A1 Basfar Et Al
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US 2011 O168425A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0168425A1 Basfar et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 14, 2011 (54) CLEAN FLAME RETARDANT (52) U.S. Cl. .................. 174/110 SR: 524/563; 524/586: COMPOSITIONS WITH CARBON NANO 524/570; 524/574; 524/562; 524/496; 524/437; TUBE FOR ENHANCING MECHANICAL 524/436; 524/414; 524/424; 524/405; 524/406; PROPERTIES FOR INSULATION OF WIRE 525/55;977/742; 977/932 AND CABLE (76) Inventors: Ahmed Ali Basfar, (US); Hun Jai Bae, (US) (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 12/684,139 Commercial thermoplastic clean flame retardant materials in wire and cable insulation are mechanically unstable due to (22) Filed: Jan. 8, 2010 high filler loading. In the present invention, thermoplastic, black color, clean flame retardant composition using carbon Pl blication Classification nano tubes (CNT) is made. The resultant compositions pos (51) Int. Cl. sess very low smoke and toxicity. CNT with outer diameter of HOIB 7/295 (2006.01) 40-60 nm and length of under 20 Lum are used to increase COSL 3L/02 (2006.01) mechanical properties and flame retardancy. Thermo plasti C08L 23/06 (2006.01) cally extruded composition consists of each component by COSL 9/00 (2006.01) parts by weight as follows: 100 of resin (polyolefin or 100 of COSL 3.3/06 (2006.01) polyolefin/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)), C08K 3/04 (2006.01) 90-150 of non halogen containing flame retardants, 1-20 of C04B 26/06 (2006.01) auxiliary secondary flame retardantagents, 2-4 of CNT (outer CSK 3/22 (2006.01) diameter of 40-60 nm) and length under 20um and 0.2-1.0 of CSK 3/32 (2006.01) antioxidants. A reliable method for producing thermoplastic C08K 3/26 (2006.01) black color clean flame retardant insulation material for wire CSK 3/38 (2006.01) and cable without deterioration of mechanical properties is CSK 3/10 (2006.01) discussed. X200,000 EDAX micrographs of CNTs. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 1 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 X200,000 Figure 1 EDAX micrographs of CNTs. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 2 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 25O : CNT50 -e-: CNT 75 -A-: CM-95 2OO O -v- : Carbon Black 150 O 2 4 CNT or Carbon Black content (phr) Figure 2 Elongation at break of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFIN A Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT or carbon black content. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 3 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 : CNT50 : CNT75 CM-95 : Carbon Black O 2 4 6 CNT or Carbon Black Content (phr) Figure 3 Tensile strength of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFINA Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT or carbon black content. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 4 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 : CNT50 : CNT75 : CM-95 : Carbon Black O 2 4 6 CNT or Carbon Black content(phr) Figure 4 LOI (%) of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFIN A Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT or carbon black content. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 5 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 18O SS f; 160 s 5 140 O) O 120 -H: CNT50 -O-: Carbon Black 1OO O 2 4 6 CNT50 or Carbon Black Content (phr) Figure 5 Elongation at break of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE 118W)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFIN A Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT 50 or carbon black content. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 6 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 18 -H: CNT50 111 24.6 -O-: Carbon Black 1 O O 2 4 6 CNT50 or Carbon Black Content (phr) Figure 6 Tensile strength of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE 118W)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFIN A Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT 50 or carbon black content. Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 7 of 7 US 2011/O168425 A1 -H: CNT50 -O-: Carbon Black O 2 4. 6 CNT50 or Carbon Black Content (phr) Figure 7 LOI of ethylene vinyl acetate (Evaflex 360)/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE 118W)/120phr magnesium hydroxide (MAGNIFIN A Grades H10A) formulations as a function of CNT 50 or carbon black content. US 2011/O168425 A1 Jul. 14, 2011 CLEAN FLAME RETARDANT tion time. Enhanced cable insulations must also meet IEC COMPOSITIONS WITH CARBON NANO 60502, BS 6724 and BS 7655 standards specific for thermo TUBE FOR ENHANCING MECHANICAL plastic compound requirements. PROPERTIES FOR INSULATION OF WIRE 0007 EVA(ethylene vinyl acetate), EVA/LDPE (low den AND CABLE sity polyethylene)(or LLDPE (linear LDPE), ethylene alpha olefin or ethylene ethyl acrylate are widely used as matrix FIELD OF INVENTION polymer because of their high flame retardant loadability and increased flame retardancy. Main flame retardants mostly 0001. This disclosure generally relates to non toxic, halo comprise of inorganic materials, such as, aluminum trihy gen free thermoplastic flame retardant composition contain droixide (ATH), magnesium hydroxide (MH) and huntite ing carbon nano tube (CNT) as insulating material for wire hydromagnesite (HH). They exhibit high decomposition tem and cable. More particularly, this invention relates to clean perature and have the ability to Suppress Smokeas clean flame flame retardant compositions for increasing flame retardancy retardant materials. However, more than 50% w/w loading is without deterioration of mechanical properties. required to achieve the target flame retardancy. Unfortu nately, such high contents of flame retardants can lead to BACKGROUND interfacial problems between matrix polymer and flame retar 0002 Every year, the world faces huge losses in lives and dants and then, can negatively affect the mechanical proper property due to residential and commercial fires caused by, ties. electrical wiring. Human lives can be lost due to high tem 0008 Various studies were performed to improve perature flames, toxic Smoke and gas that are generated from mechanical properties and flame retardancy by using organic the flammable insulation materials used in wire and cable encapsulated flame retardants (Chang et al. 2006, Du Let al. during fire. 2006, Liu Yet al. 2006), and synergistic effect of hydrotalcite 0003. The current population uses many equipments and with two flame retardants and organo-modified montmorillo gadgets that contain several wires and cables. Most wires and nite (Laoutid Fet al. 2006, Ma Hetal. 2006). cables are fabricated from plastic materials that are readily 0009 Organic encapsulated flame retardants can enhance flammable. Moreover, modern living involves heavy use of the interfacial adhesion with matrix polymers and lead to electric equipment containing wires and communication sys improved dispersion compared to non-encapsulated flame tems made of cables. These conditions further increase the retardants. Hydrotalcite composites increase flame retar loss of lives and properties due to bad insulation of a wire or dancy by releasing more gas compared to other flame retar a cable resulting in an electrical fire. Smoke and toxic fumes dants during burning. In addition, partial Substitution of flame from poor insulation materials in wires and cables can cause retardants by organo-modified montmorillonite improves the irreparable health damage. burning properties. All these result only in improved flame 0004 Wire and cable insulations are required to meet not retardancy. only the electrical properties but also the mechanical proper 0010 Specification standards for wire and cable insulation ties. Polyethylene and polyvinylchloride compounds are composition require high flame retardancy and Superior some of the best materials suitable for wire and cable insula mechanical properties. For example, the minimum required tions because of their excellent electrical and mechanical tensile strength is 8.8 MPa and minimum elongation at break properties. However, these materials have poor flame retar is 125% based on IEC 60502, BS 6724 and BS 7655 standards dancy and generate toxic gases during a fire. for thermoplastic compounds. Moreover, additional treat 0005 Polyethylene, for example, is easily flammable and ment of flame retardants or mixing with special chemicals generates less toxic gases during the burning process. On the increase cost performance of final products. There is a need to other hand, Polyvinylchloride compounds generate a lot of obtain a wire and cable insulation material that contains a toxic gases during a fire, even though it has acceptable flame clean flame retardant material, has Superior mechanical prop retardancy. Currently, clean flame retardant materials are erties and high flame retardancy. Without meeting these made from special formulations. These special formulations important properties, the clean flame retardant materials are are made of halogen and toxicity free chemicals. Clean flame not suitable for wire and cable insulation purposes. retardant materials mainly consist of matrix polymers that do not contain halogen, main flame retardants, secondary flame SUMMARY retardants, intumescent flame retardants, processing aids and antioxidants. (Mans Vetal. 1998, Rai Metal. 1998, Wei Pet 0011. The current invention is carried out to find a flame al. 2006 and Luciana Retal. 2005). The resultant mixture has retardant material which does not generate toxic gases for very poor mechanical properties. wire and cable insulation materials during a fire. The flame 0006. The other biggest problem with commercially clean retardant materials are known as halogen free flame retardant material is that they have unstable mechanical properties, compounds (HFFR compounds), clean flame retardant mate even though they possess high flame retardancy, due to high rials and/or non toxic flame retardant materials. filler loadings. Clean flame retardant materials contain rela 0012. The current invention relates to thermoplastic (not tively high content of inorganic materials as flame retardants.