Preparation of Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer/Cerium Carbonate Hydroxide Composites Containing Aluminum Phosphinate with Improved Flame-Retardant and Mechanical Properties

In this work, cerium carbonate hydroxide (CeCO₃OH) was synthesized by a facile sonochemical reaction. The CeCO₃OH particles were blended with thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) and aluminum phosphinate (AlP) to fabricate the fire-retardant materials. Morphology analysis results indicated that CeCO₃OH was uniformly dispersed in TPEE. Thermogravimetric analysis results demonstrated that the additives composed of CeCO₃OH and AlP led to the slight reduction of thermal decomposition temperature and maximum mass loss rate of TPEE composites. Compared with neat TPEE, all the TPEE/AlP/CeCO₃OH composites achieved the V-0 rating in Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 94 testing. Their limiting oxygen index values were also higher than those of neat TPEE and TPEE/AlP. In cone calorimetry testing, the peak heat release rate of TPEE/12AlP/3CeCO₃OH decreased from 1190 kW/m² for neat TPEE to 530 kW/m² with a reduction of 55%. Residue analysis showed that the presence of CeCO₃OH in TPEE/AlP promoted the formation of compact protective char layer resulting in the improved fire-resistant performance. The incorporation of CeCO₃OH also enhanced the tensile properties of TPEE composites.