Thermoplastic and thermoset polymers in use today have fire risk and fire hazard associated with them that is not always well known to the public or material scientists. Recent events in the United Kingdom and California show that, if not considered carefully, use of flammable materials can result in catastrophic losses of both life and property. Further, current understanding has shown that simply adding flame retardant chemicals to polymers to address fire hazard and risk is not sufficient, as there is an increased demand from consumers, government, and industry for improved durability, recyclability, fire safety, and reduced environmental impact. These new requirements are beginning to change flame retardant chemistry for polymers, which has been mostly unchanged for the past 50 years. Existing flame retardant chemical technology will be briefly reviewed to show what is available today, followed by a discussion of potential future flame retardant approaches. Future possibilities such as polymeric, reactive, inorganic, and transition metal chemistries will be surveyed and discussed, with emphasis on what is not fully understood or validated for commercial use or future research and development investment. Current unmet fire safety needs of polymers, based upon current information and technological trends, will also be discussed.

中文翻译：

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阻燃聚合物的未来-未满足的需求和可能的新方法

当今使用的热塑性和热固性聚合物具有与之相关的着火危险和着火危险，公众或材料科学家并不总是众所周知。英国和加利福尼亚的最近事件表明，如果不仔细考虑，使用易燃材料可能会导致生命和财产的灾难性损失。此外，当前的理解表明，仅将阻燃剂化学品添加到聚合物中以解决火灾隐患和风险是不够的，因为消费者，政府和行业对提高耐用性，可回收性，防火安全和减少环境影响的需求不断增加。这些新要求开始改变聚合物的阻燃化学，在过去的50年中，这种化学几乎没有变化。将简要回顾现有的阻燃化学技术，以显示当今可用的技术，然后讨论未来潜在的阻燃方法。将对诸如聚合物，反应性，无机和过渡金属化学之类的未来可能性进行调查和讨论，重点是尚未完全理解或验证的商业用途或未来的研发投资。基于当前的信息和技术趋势，还将讨论聚合物当前未满足的消防安全需求。重点放在尚未完全理解或验证用于商业用途或未来研发投资的内容上。基于当前的信息和技术趋势，还将讨论聚合物当前未满足的消防安全需求。重点放在尚未完全理解或验证用于商业用途或未来研发投资的内容上。基于当前的信息和技术趋势，还将讨论聚合物当前未满足的消防安全需求。