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Cover Image, Volume 130, Issue 5
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.39090
Subject(s) - graphite , materials science , cover (algebra) , polymer science , polymer , catalysis , composite material , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , mechanical engineering , engineering
To improve the fire retardancy of acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymers (ABS), an important engineering thermoplastic, graphite is used by Dan‐Dan Yang et al. on page 3038 to reduce the peak heat release rate. The cover image shows organophilic alpha‐zirconium phosphate (OZrP)/ABS nanocomposites, synthesized by melt mixing with OZrP acting as a catalyst. The structure and morphology of the charred residue indicate the presence of graphite sheets and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), even when the heat‐treated temperature is less than 400 °C. An acid catalyst can change the degradation mechanism of ABS from thermal to catalytic, promoting the yield of graphite sheets and CNTs. These results may contribute to future developments in the catalyzing carbonization of polymers.