Polymer flame-retardant raw materials — aluminum hydroxide (ATH), ammonium polyphosphate, and antimony trioxide synergist — for UL 94 and LOI compliance across mineral-filled, intumescent, and halogenated systems.
Flame retardants are additives that raise a polymer's resistance to ignition and slow flame spread so a part can meet a fire-safety standard such as UL 94 or a target limiting oxygen index. They work by different mechanisms: mineral fillers that absorb heat and release water, synergists that strengthen a gas-phase halogen system, and intumescents that swell into an insulating char. A compliant system usually combines one mechanism with the right loading for the polymer.
Aluminum hydroxide (ATH) is the highest-volume flame retardant by tonnage because it is inexpensive and halogen-free, but it decomposes near 200 C and needs high loadings, often 40 to 60% by weight, which lowers mechanical properties and raises melt viscosity. That is the central trade-off: clean, low-cost flame retardancy at the price of high filler load and harder processing. Use ATH where its decomposition temperature suits the polymer; switch to ammonium polyphosphate for higher-temperature or intumescent systems.
Antimony trioxide is a synergist, not a standalone retardant; it boosts halogenated systems at low loading and does little on its own. It carries a harmonized CLP classification as a suspected carcinogen (Carc. 2, H351) and is listed by IARC in Group 2B, so confirm regulatory status for your application and jurisdiction before specifying it. Where a halogen-free profile is required, ammonium polyphosphate and ATH cover most intumescent and mineral-filled needs.
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