Advanced Halogen-Free Flame Retardant System for Polyolefin Applications with Additive Combination Technology

The replacement of metals with plastic composite materials is proceeding for the purpose of the weight reduction in various field and applications. On the other hand, plastic, especially polypropylene, is extremely combustible materials, and the addition of flame retardant is indispensable for applications requiring high fire protection and electrical parts at high voltage. As typified by the European railway standards, the number of standards that emphasize the amount and toxicity of smoke during combustion has increased as recent trends. In order to meet the market demand, a halogen-free flame retardant system “ADK STAB FP-2000 series” has been developed. In this study, the performance of these halogen-free intumescent flame retardants was compared with the conventional halogenated flame retardant ones. It was observed that the intumescent flame retardants greatly reduced heat release rates, dark smoke and CO during combustion compared with the conventional ones. Thus, there results suggested that intumescent flame retardants were superior to conventional flame retardants by safety in fire accidents. This paper describes, among others, the featured of intumescent flame retardant and the functionalization examples such as excellent thermal stability and weatherability by combination with suitable additives.