Many of the polymers we use every day are highly flammable. Historically, a large number of home fires were caused by ignited polymeric materials until legislation was introduced requiring fire retardants to be added to these materials. Fire retardants increase the time it takes for materials to ignite, providing valuable time to prevent a fire or escape. However, it has become apparent that many of the traditional treatments used as fire retardants are harmful to human health and highly persistent in the environment. With evermore polymeric materials in our homes and lives it is still highly valuable to be able to make fire retardants, but consideration must be given to their environmental impact and sustainability.
Green Fire Retardants for Polymeric Materials looks at both the choice of different materials and treatments for improving the fire retardancy of polymeric materials, as well as green approaches to synthesising these fire retardants. It is a timely resource both for green chemists interested in real world applications for their work and polymer scientists keen to increase the sustainability of their products and processes.