Thermal Degradation Behaviors of Poly(vinyl chloride)/Halloysite Nanotubes Nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that HNTs were uniformly dispersed in the PVC matrix. The thermal properties of PVC/HNTs nanocomposites were investigated in detail. The apparent activation energies (Ea) were analyzed by means of Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the thermal properties of PVC/HNTs nanocomposites were improved. Cone calorimetry was used to measure the smoke evolution and fire properties. The addition of HNTs led to a remarkable reduction in the smoke production rate, the total smoke production, and the peak heat release rate.