Suprakas Sinha Ray - Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant Polymers: Next-generation Fillers for Polymer Nanocomposite Applications

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This monograph presents an overview of recent academic and industrial research efforts on halogen-free flame-retardant (FR) polymers and their nanocomposites. The synthesis methods of various types of halogen-free FR polymers and their nanocomposites are summarized and their flame-retardant behavior, toxic gas evolution during combustion, and inhibition methods are critically reviewed. The FR activities of different FR compounds containing polymers, their FR mechanisms, and fire toxicant releasing and inhibition methods are covered in this book, with special emphasis on polyurethanes (PUs). The significance of thermal stability and melt dripping on the FR activity of PUs is explained. The FR activities of various P-, N-, and P-N-based FRs-containing PUs are critically analyzed. The synergetic effect between different FR compounds and their importance in FR activity, char formation, and improving char strength are systematically summarized. The importance of metal oxide nanoparticles, nanoclay, and graphene in flame inhibition is discussed. In summary, the various fundamental concepts described in this book are essential to understand the FR activity of various polymers and their nanocomposites, and they would be of great aid in developing efficient environmentally friendly FR polymers and their nanocomposites for a wide range of applications. We hope that graduate students and researchers at universities and industry alike will find this monograph enjoyable and stimulating, as well as helpful for their future work.

The authors would like to thank the Department of Science and Innovation and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, for financial support. We express our sincerest appreciation to all colleagues, postdoctoral fellows, and students for their valuable contributions as well as the reviewers for their critical evaluation of the proposal and chapters. We also thank the authors and publishers for their permission to reproduce their published works. Our special thanks go to Zachary Evenson at Springer Nature for his encouragement, cooperation, suggestions, and advice during various phases of preparation, organization, and production of this book. Finally, we would like to thank our CEO, T. Dlamini, for his continued support and encouragement.

Pretoria/Johannesburg, South Africa

Pretoria, South Africa