A Study on the Effect of Nano-Magnesium Hydroxide on the Flammability of Epoxy Resins

In this work the effect of nano-magnesium hydroxide (nano-Mg(OH)2) on the flammability of epoxy composites is presented and compared with the traditional flame retardant used in just small amounts for epoxy resins, ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The fire reaction properties of epoxy composites were obtained by cone calorimeter tests. It was observed that the flammability of the unfilled resin is significantly changed with nano-Mg(OH)2 addition and reductions of 33, 22 and 23% in the epoxy composite heat release rate peak (PHRR) by incorporating 10%, 5 % and 1% of nano-Mg(OH)2, respectively, were achieved. Cone calorimeter analyses confirm the better behavior of APP composites compared with nano-Mg(OH)2 composites. SEM micrographs show some agglomerations on the distribution of nano-Mg(OH)2 in the epoxy matrix.