Preparation of bamboo charcoal-reinforced polyamide 6 composites modified with diverse additives: Synergy and interface improvement

Polyamide 6 (PA6) composite is a thermoplastic composite with potential application prospects; however, its low interfacial compatibility leads to poor toughness and flame retardancy. In this study, a new bamboo charcoal (BC)-PA composite material was prepared by injection molding with BC as inorganic filler and four auxiliaries. Analysis of various properties of the composite material indicates that the addition of additives improves the interfacial compatibility between BC and PA6, as a result, PA6 displays significantly improved toughness and flame retardancy under the premise of maintaining excellent mechanical strength, which improves the overall performance of the composite material. The lanthanide rare-earth nucleating agent WBG-II and the hardening nucleating agent WNA108 enhanced the thermal stability and dimensional stability of the composite. Additionally, the inorganic powder surface modifier WOT108 and the processing modifier WAC802 improved the dispersion and wettability of bamboo charcoal (BC). Collectively, these additives increased the interfacial compatibility and bonding strength of the composite system. Compared with pure PA6, the tensile strength, bending strength, and impact strength of the composite increased by 51–57 %, 76–82 %, and 12–28 %, respectively. Simultaneously, the addition of additives and BC could promote the formation of carbon layer in the combustion process, block the transfer of heat and combustible gas, and improve the flame retardancy of the composite. Therefore, this integrated modification and enhancement method of BC and auxiliaries provides a simple and efficient strategy for expanding the application prospects of engineering plastic PA6 in the field of high value-added engineering structural materials. [Display omitted] •Composite material reinforced with bamboo charcoal shows improved performance.•WBG-II and WNA108 enhance the thermal stability and dimensional integrity.•Additives boost dispersion of bamboo charcoal in the polyamide 66 matrix.•Synergistic effect of carbon layer endows composite with superior flame retardancy.