Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (Eva) / Nano-Clays or Slaked Lime Composites

Abstract

Ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) is a widely used copolymer in various industrial applications. One concern about its utilization is its flammability as other polymeric materials. The inorganic fillers like clays, metal hydroxides (e.g. of Al, Mg), metal oxides (e.g. alumina) are evaluated as environmentally benign additives to enhance the flammability characteristics of the polymers. The composites prepared via these inorganic fillers should also be characterized by considering their required mechanical properties for specific applications. The possible utilization of different nano-clays (organically surface modified montmorillonite (MMT)) and “slaked lime” (Ca(OH)2 without surface modification) was investigated in the current study. The nano-clay with exfoliated morphology in the EVA matrix was found to be more effective on both mechanical and flammability characteristics of EVA composites. Ca(OH)2 was also moderately effective on mechanical and thermal characteristics of the EVA composite. The inorganic filler content of EVA composites may be increased for better flame-retardancy, but the mechanical properties should be investigated simultaneously.