Flame retardant polymers

Arresting flammability in polymer-based products is an important safety consideration. Unfortunately, polymer additives commonly used for this purpose, such as small brominated molecules, impart new safety concerns due to their harmful environmental and human health effects. While the co-extruded additive molecules are originally in the polymer matrix, they can leach out over time, releasing the harmful small molecules. The diversity of chemistry available from biomass-derived molecules allows us to generate novel polymers in which non-halogenated chemical species are covalently bonded to the polymer chain. Our initial work in this area has focused on improving the flame retardant properties of nylon-6,6.