New developments in fire retardant non-halogen aromatic phosphates

Akzo Nobel Chemicals has recently introduced on the market an aromatic olig omeric phosphate (BDP) based on Bisphenol A. This product shows higher ther mal and hydrolytic stability than other aryl phosphates. It provides simila r or better fire retardant performance than an oligomeric phosphate (RDP) b ased on resorcinol. Fire retardant formulations with BDP based on polycarbo nate/ABS plastic (PC/ABS) blend, polyphenylene oxide/high impact polystyren e (PPO/HIPS) blend, and HIPS alone show similar or better physical properti es than those obtained with RDP. Upon thermal decomposition of the fire ret arded polymers containing BDP, phosphorus tends to accumulate in the solid residue, a result which indicates that the primary fire retardant action of BDP is likely to occur in the condensed phase.