Synthesis, characterization and thermal degradation kinetics of aluminum diisobutylphosphinate

The novel flame retardant aluminum diisobutylphosphinate was synthesized and its structure was identified and studied by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal degradation behaviors of the novel flame retardant in a nitrogen atmosphere were studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The kinetic parameters, including the activation energy and frequency factor of the decomposition process for the title compound were calculated through the Friedman and the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) methods and the thermal decomposition mechanism was also studied with the invariant kinetic parameters (IKP) method based on a set of TGA data obtained at different heating rates. It was shown that the activation energies calculated for the decomposition reaction by different methods were found to be consistent and the conversion functions calculated by means of the IKP method depend on a set of kinetic models. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.