Flame retardance future trends

With all the changes underway for flame-retardant technology, sustainability requirements for polymeric materials, and ever-changing fire risk scenarios, it can be quite hard to predict what the future of flame retardancy will be, but there are some trends and information that allow us to make some suggestions about the future. So, our predictions for the future are the following ... 

Halogen-based flame retardants have served a great need for effective flame retardancy for several years. Due to relatively recent environmental concerns, there is a continuing trend toward the development of nonhalogenated materials to replace these systems. While this has been underway for quite some time, it does not appear that nonhalogenated materials will be available in the near future. Hence it appears that there is still a need for these materials to prevent fires. 

Morgan, A. B. and Wilkie, C. A. Practical issues and future trends of polymer nanocomposite flammability research, in Flame Retardant Polymer Nanocomposites, Morgan, A. B. and Wilkie, C. A. (Eds.) John Wiley Sons Hoboken, NJ, 2007, p. 421. 

The unusual and attractive properties of the block polymers already identified, and the almost limitless combinations of possible block polymer structures, argue for an unbounded future. The rapidly growing applications for the commercial thermoplastic rubber block polymers of Table III have confirmed the trend. To lend some credibility to our look at the future, however, we have restricted it to the area of A-B-A block polymers in which we have the most experience. Some of the future trends we suggest are higher service temperature, oxidative stability, better processability, solvent resistance, flame retardance, electrical conductivity. 

In the modern polymer industry, the various existing types of polymer flame retardants based on halogens (Cl, Br), heavy and transition metals (Zn, V, Pb, Sb) or phosphorus-organic compounds reduce the risk from pol3nner combustion and p5n olysis, but may present ecological issues. The overall use of halogenated flame retardants is still showing an upward trend, but the above concerns have started a search for more environmentally friendly polymer additives. As a result it is quite possible that the future available flame retardants will be more limited than in the past. 

Troitzsch, J. Flame retardant pol3mers current status and future-trends. Makromol. Chem. Macromol. Symp. 1993, 74 125-135. 

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