Thermal and combustion characteristics of phosphorus and phosphorus/nitrogen-containing styrene monomers and oligomers

Two series of styrene monomers, one with phosphorus-containing moieties as substituents and the other with substituents containing both phosphorus and nitrogen, have been prepared, characterized, and converted to oligomers. The oligomers contain, in the one case, phosphorus and, in the other, phosphorus and nitrogen. This provides the opportunity to not only assess the impact of the presence of phosphorus on the combustion characteristics of the oligomers but to determine whether or not this impact is enhanced by the presence of nitrogen. The level of residue from thermogravimetry and heat release rate during combustion suggest that the presence of nitrogen may have a small positive impact on the effectiveness of phosphorus flame retardants.