Additive-free fabrication of polymeric composites with delayed and reduced dripping
Fire safety in polymers is critically important with products used in construction, aerospace, transportation, and furniture. Additives used as anti-dripping and flame-retardant agents impose acute human health issues and have negative environmental impacts. In our previous study, we developed an additive-free solution through the coextrusion of polymeric films, and we found that the multilayer configuration provides two significant advantages in the time to the first drip and reduction in the number of drips compared to the value for the melt blended samples with no additives. The proposed project aims to optimize the layer number and formulation to be feasible in industrial settings. This will happen through systematic fabrication, flammability and morphological testing of the pertinent material formulation. This study demonstrates that a multilayer film geometry can provide an additive-free solution to yield control over fire safety parameters in polymers.