ADDITIVES | FLAME RETARDANTS
Right: China is an increasingly important market for flame retardant producers and construction is well advanced at Clariant’s Daya Bay flame retardant plant, shown here, which opens next year
tabled in Canada on the use of decabromodiphenyl ethane, (DBDPE). A prohibition order is targeted for publication in early 2023 (it would contain various exceptions). DBPDE should not be confused with decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), which has already been phased out in many regions. The new grades of Exolit are already registered under REACH in the European Union and are currently being registered in China and under TOSCA in the US. “Exolit OP 14XX types are now a preferred solution in terms of performance and sustainability profile,” says Hörold. For pure perfor- mance, Exolit OP 13XX technologies lead, which means that Exolit OP 13XX grades can be used in lower doses, making them more cost efficient. Clariant has added to this range too, with the introduction of Exolit OP 1380. This also contains a new synergist and is suitable for use with PA6 and 66. Clariant is now planning new Exolit grades for
PBT compounds intended for e-mobility applica- tions. Some of the development work will be carried out at its new technical centre in Shanghai, which opened in April this year.
New options for PA New to the Lanxess flame retardant product line is Emerald Innovation NH 500, a phosphorus-based non-halogen flame retardant intended primarily for use in glass fibre-reinforced polyamides (PA66 in particular) used in for electrical and electronics applications. The new grade, which will first be applied for PA6 and PA66, is now in large scale pilot production and the company says feedback has been good. Customers will have to wait until 2026 before it is fully available, however. Emerald Innovation NH500 is pitched at the same types of applications as Clariant’s Exolit OP products, but Lanxess says its chemistry is com- pletely different. For now, though, the company is
Figure 1: Mechanical properties of glass fibre reinforced PA66 containing combinations of Lanxess’s new Emerald Innovation NH 500 flame retardant and different synergists
Source: Lanxess 18 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2022
www.compoundingworld.com
not disclosing exactly what chemistry it is using. The new additive is said to exhibit very good
flame retardant properties in combination with other additives and to easily meet relevant fire safety tests. For example, a glass fibre-reinforced PA66 formulated with Emerald Innovation NH 500 passed the UL 94 fire test with a V-0 classification at 0.8 mm thickness. “In glow-wire testing, the highest intended glow-wire flammability Index (GWFI) of 960°C is achieved without difficulty by a specimen of 3 mm thickness,” the company says. “The glow-wire ignition temperature (GWIT) was measured up to 875°C, which is significantly higher than that of the reference (775°C).” Lanxess has developed formulations around the new flame retardant with different synergists. “They ensure that the mechanical properties and other functional characteristics of the end products are maintained,” it says (Figure 1). “The combination of very good flame retardant properties and high dimensional stability in engineering thermoplas- tics, such as PA6 and PA66, offers compounders and processors promising applications.”
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IMAGE: CLARIANT
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