Synthesis of hydrophobic zinc borate nanoflakes and its effect on flame retardant properties of polyethylene

Zinc borate (2ZnO·3B2O3·3.5H2O) has relatively high dehydration on-set temperature which property permits processing in a wide range of polymer system. But zinc borate particles are hardly dispersed in a polymer matrix so that they prevent their using in industry. To address this problem, we synthesized hydrophobic zinc borate (2ZnO·3B2O3·3.5H2O) nanoflakes by employing solid–liquid reaction of zinc oxide (ZnO) and boric acid (H3BO3) in the presence of oleic acid. This method does not bring pollution. By conducting morphological and microscopic analyses, we found that this compound displayed nanoflake morphology with particle size of around 100–200 nm, thickness less than 100 nm and there were uniform mesopores with the diameter about 10 nm within the particles. Furthermore, our products had an effect on flame retardant of polyethylene, especially when the zinc borate was modified by oleic acid.