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Flame Retardants: Additives in Plastic Technology

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Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series

Abstract

This chapter deals with a brief account on various types of topics on flame retardant materials as additives in plastic technology. The chapter focuses on the mechanism of polymer combustion, the main mode of action, and the quality properties of flame retardant materials. It also focuses on the commonly used flammability test for polymers: they are radiant panel, limited oxygen indices (LOI), underwriter’s laboratories (UL 94), and cone calorimeter. This chapter discusses the types of flame retardant materials based on their mode of action, on their mechanism during fire, and on their functional elements. The most known flame retardant based on their functional elements are mineral flame retardants (e.g., metal hydroxide, hydroxyl carbonates, borates), halogenated flame retardants, phosphorous compounds, nitrogen-containing flame retardants, silicon-based flame retardants, and nanometric particles. Since more environmental regulations restricted to halogenated flame retardants especially the brominated ones are issued for health concern and environmental issues, fire safety versus environmental safety and current trend for replacing halogenated flame retardant were reviewed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymers and Pigments Department, Chemical Industries Division, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

    Soheir Youssef Tawfik

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  1. Soheir Youssef Tawfik
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Correspondence to Soheir Youssef Tawfik .

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  1. Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee, Saharanpur, India

    Sanjay Palsule

Glossary of Flame Retardants

Additive

Compound added after the polymer has been synthesized but before or during its conversion to final form (e.g., fiber, plastic); not covalently bound to polymer substrate

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)

An allotrope of carbon. They take the form of cylindrical carbon molecules and have novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics, and other fields of materials science

Combustion

Self-catalyzed exothermic reaction involving two reactants (fuel and oxidizer)

Fire Resistance

Capacity of a material or structure to withstand fire without losing its functional properties

Fire

Uncontrolled combustion

Flame Propagation

Spread of flame from region to region in a combustible material (burning velocity = rate of flame propagation

Flame Resistance

Property in a material of exhibiting reduced flammability

Flame Retardant

Chemical compound capable of imparting flame resistance to (reducing flammability of) a material to which it is added

Flames

Gas-phase combustion processes with emission of visible light

Flammability

Tendency of a material to burn with a flame

Heat flux or thermal flux

The rate of heat energy transfer through a given surface, per unit time. The SI derived unit of heat rate is joule per second, or watt. Heat flux density is the heat rate per unit area. In SI units, heat flux density is measured in [W/m2]

Ignition

Initiation of combustion

Nanoclays

A broad class of naturally occurring inorganic minerals, of which platelike montmorillonite is the most commonly used in materials applications

SI units

International System of Units (noun): SI unit, a system of physical units (SI units) based on the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela, and mole, together with a set of prefixes to indicate multiplication or division by a power of ten

Smoke

Fine dispersion in air of particles of carbon and other solids and liquids resulting from incomplete combustion

Synergism

Observed effectiveness of combinations of compounds greater than the sum of the effects of individual components

Thermal degradation

Irreversible chemical decomposition due to increase in temperature

Toxicity

Harmful effect on a biological system caused by a chemical or physical agent

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Tawfik, S.Y. (2017). Flame Retardants: Additives in Plastic Technology. In: Palsule, S. (eds) Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37179-0_76-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37179-0_76-2

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Flame Retardants: Additives in Plastic Technology
    Published:
    13 March 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37179-0_76-2

  2. Original

    Flame Retardants: Additives in Plastic Technology
    Published:
    13 December 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37179-0_76-1

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