NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN INORGANIC TIN FIRE RETARD ANT SYSTEMS

摘要

Although a wide range of chemicals have found use as fire retardants over the years, many are facing increasing scrutiny either because of their inherent toxicity or their negative impacts in the environment. In view of a clear industrial demand for safer fire retardants, ITRI commenced its work on tin-based FR additives in the mid-1980s. ITRI's research led to the commercial introduction of two specific tin compounds - zinc hydroxystannate (ZHS) and zinc stannate (ZS) - as novel fire-retardant additives with the additional benefit of smoke suppression, and markets for these compounds have increased steadily over the past 20 years or so. Initially developed as safe alternatives to antimony trioxide for use in PVC and other halogen-containing polymeric materials, recent advances have focused on their application in halogen-free polymers and market growth is evident in the European and Japanese electronic sectors. This paper gives an overview of recent work carried out at ITRI covering applications in halogen-free electronics, cables and fire-protective coatings, with particular reference to the development of novel tin additives, based on proprietary nano-particulate and coating technologies.