Silicate-siloxane fire retardant composites

The one-pot synthesis and characterization of a series of silicate-siloxane composites derived from vermiculite by reaction with hydroxy-terminated po ly(dimethylsiloxane)s is described. Cone calorimetry has been used to obtai n heat release rate measurements. The results show that even at the highest irradiance levels the samples had very long ignition times. Ignition resis tance decreased as the hydrocarbon content of the composite increased. The results from the cone calorimeter are compared with those obtained by pyrol ysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry which showed that small volatile silicon-containing molecules are formed during pyrolysis. (C) 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.