Halogen-free flame retardant plastics

Abstract

As designers are increasingly looking for materials that can contribute to the reduction of environmental burden through their life cycles, eco-materials have been a hot topic for the last few years. They are recycled, recyclable, or made from renewable sources. A wide range of eco-materials are developed in various industries such as iron and steel, electronics, chemicals, paper, construction, textile, and plastics. Plastics have benefited our society in a number of ways, though they are also known for their relatively high flammability. To overcome this problem, ancillary flame retardants are used for delaying the spread of flame even if ignition occurs. They provide an extra time in the early stages when the fire can be extinguished or an escape can be made. However, some of those additives can become more harmful than fire. Mostly halogenated flame retardants are accompanied by the corrosive or toxic gases and smoke, which are produced while combustion is continuing. Therefore, obtaining fire-resisting properties of plastics is becoming an important issue to extend their usage for many applications. The up-to-date account of the situation of halogen flame retardant-free plastics has been provided in this chapter from the basic science to the latest innovations. Starting with the fundamental definitions, variety of properties, and manufacturing methods, a facile way to understand the new techniques in halogen flame-retardant-free plastic materials has been provided to the reader. More recent processes and applications have been mentioned, briefly.