Reactive extrusion to synthesize intumescent flame retardant with a solid acid as catalyst and the flame retardancy of the products in polypropylene

Reactive extrusion and solid acid catalysis technologies were adopted in the pentaerythritol–melamine phosphate (PER‐MP) reaction to synthesize intumescent flame retardant, melamine salt of pentaerythritol phosphate (MPP), which was applied in flame retardant polypropylene (PP). This environment‐friendly synthesis method provided a solution to the problems of conventional methods. On one hand, reactive extrusion in a twin screw extruder can effectively mix and transfer viscous materials that usually results in a tough stir in a conventional reactor, and achieve a continuous synthesis process. On the other hand, the solid acid, silicotungstic acid (STA) serving as a catalyst, can maintain a satisfactory conversion even with a low extrusion temperature and a short residence time, thus effectively suppressing foaming in the process of the reaction. Furthermore, without removal like other catalysts in general chemical reactions, STA was kept in produced MPP to constitute a synergism flame retardant system, therefore further improved the flame retardancy. LOI and UL94 test showed that the STA‐catalyzed MPP (by reactive extrusion) possessed much better flame retardancy in PP when compared with the noncatalyzed MPP (by reactive extrusion), as well as present commercial MPP (by POCl 3 method). In our investigation, the catalytic and synergistic effects of STA, as well as the related factors of the reactive extrusion affecting the conversion of the PER‐MP reaction, flame retardancy and mechanical performance of the corresponding flame retardant PP, were systematically investigated.