Mineral, intumescent, and synergist flame retardants — aluminum hydroxide (ATH), ammonium polyphosphate, boric acid, and antimony trioxide — for textile back-coatings and cellulosic treatments.
Textile flame retardants are additives that slow ignition and flame spread on fabric, and they work by three different mechanisms. Mineral hydroxides such as aluminum hydroxide (ATH) decompose and release water that cools and dilutes flammable gases; intumescent phosphates such as ammonium polyphosphate (APP) form an expanded char that shields the fiber; and antimony trioxide acts only as a synergist that boosts halogenated systems. Match the chemistry to the fiber and to the test standard you must meet.
APP is the workhorse intumescent for cotton and cellulosics. On heating it builds a carbon char that blocks oxygen and heat, and phosphorus-nitrogen systems can be made reasonably wash-durable. ATH releases water at roughly 180-200°C, but it needs high loading to be effective, and that loading can stiffen the fabric. The trade-off is real: specify APP-based chemistry where durable cellulosic FR and acceptable hand feel both matter, and reserve high-loading ATH for back-coatings where added stiffness is tolerable.
Antimony trioxide contributes no flame retardancy on its own; it functions only with a halogenated flame retardant, typically in a back-coating. That pairing carries regulatory weight: antimony trioxide is classified as a suspected carcinogen (Carc. 2) under EU CLP and is identified as a substance of very high concern, and boric acid (used on cellulosics) is on the ECHA SVHC Candidate List as a reproductive toxicant. Confirm regulatory status for your application and jurisdiction. Where antimony or halogen chemistry is ruled out, specify phosphorus-nitrogen (APP) or mineral (ATH) systems instead.
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