Mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant performance of polyamide 11–halloysite nanotube nanocomposites

This study focused on the influence of different filler loadings on the elongation at break and flammability properties of the PA11/FR/HNTs nanocomposites. Polyamide 11 (PA11)/flame-retardant (FR) additives/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites were melt compounded via twin-screw extrusion for all the compositions. Three FR additive loadings (15, 20, and 25 wt%) and three HNTs loadings (2.5, 5, and 10 wt%) were selected. The formula with 25 % FR and 2.5 % HNT had the lowest additives content and the highest elongation at break of 10.22 % among all UL-94 V-0 rated formulas. A homogeneous dispersion of HNTs in PA11 matrix was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimeter measurements indicated that HNTs behaved as nucleating agents by accelerating the rate of crystallization, thus increasing crystallization temperature. The young’s modulus of the PA11 nanocomposites was enhanced with the addition of HNTs. Micro-scale combustion calorimeter results demonstrated that the addition of HNTs also decreased the peak heat release rate of the nanocomposites. These results indicate the effectiveness of HNTs on the mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant performance of PA11/FR/HNTs nanocomposites.