Building of hierarchical structure of functionalized montmorillonite anchored with ZnO: Toward fabricating high-performance polyethylene composite

As is well known, polyethylene (PE) is flammable with the release of abundant heat, confirming its low fire safety. Consequently, the extended application of PE is restrained. In this work, we propose the facile preparation of multi-component hybrid (functionalized montmorillonite anchored with ZnO, defined as FMZH) and its promising utilization in PE. With the aid of functionalized compound, the obtained hybrid shows good dispersion state, as well as strong interfacial interaction with polymer matrix. By incorporating FMZH fillers, the marked reductions in peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) can be obtained, corroborating the enhanced fire safety. Specifically, with the addition of 5.0 wt% 1-2FMZH and 1-4FMZH, the PHRR values are reduced to 567 and 667 kW/m², respectively, corresponding to 54.7 and 46.8% decrease. Also, the suppressing effect on the release of decomposition fragments can be evidenced by the decreased absorbance intensity in FTIR spectra. Furthermore, the presence of these fillers shows marginal influence on the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PE. Additionally, the FMZH composite with hierarchical structure shows superior gas barrier function over pristine ZnO and montmorillonite.