Open Access

ARTICLE

Mechanical Properties and Fire Retardancy of Wood Flour/High-Density Polyethylene Composites Reinforced with Continuous Honeycomb-Like Nano-SiO₂ Network and Fire Retardant

Haiyang Zhou^1,2, Xiaoyu Wang³, Xiaolong Hao^1,2, Qingwen Wang^1,2,*, Rongxian Ou^1,2,*

1 Key Laboratory for Biobased Materials and Energy of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
2 Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agricultural Science and Technology, Guangzhou, 510642, China
3 College of Arts, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

* Corresponding Authors: Qingwen Wang. Email: ; Rongxian Ou. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2020, 8(5), 485-498. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2020.010263

Received 22 February 2020; Accepted 02 April 2020; Issue published 29 April 2020

Abstract

The mechanical properties of wood flour/high-density polyethylene composites (WPC) were improved by adding a small amount of nano-SiO₂ to obtain a network-structured WPC with a continuous honeycomb-like nano-SiO₂ network. The wood flour was modified with a fire retardant (a mixture of sodium octabonate and amidine urea phosphate) to improve its fire retardancy. The flexural properties, creep resistance, thermal expansion, and fire retardancy of the WPC were compared to a control (WPC_CTRL) without nano-SiO₂ or fire retardant. The flexural strength and modulus of the WPC containing only 0.55 wt.% nano-SiO₂ were 6.6% and 9.1% higher than the control, respectively, while the creep strain and thermal expansion rate at 90°C were 33.8% and 13.6% lower, respectively. The cone calorimetry tests revealed that the nano-SiO₂ network physically shielded the WPC, giving it lower heat release and smoke production rates. The thermal expansion was further decreased by incorporating fire retardants into the WPC, which showed the lowest total heat release and total smoke production and the highest mass retention. This study demonstrates a facile procedure for producing WPC with desired performances by forming a continuous honeycomb-like network by adding a small amount of nanoparticles.

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