Methods of flammability reduction of polystyrene with an important role of chemical modification. Part I. Combustion mechanism of polymers, flammability test methods and physical modifications of polystyrene

Abstract

The paper is a literature review of the methods of polystyrene (PS) modification to increase its fire resistance. Various types of flame retardants are presented, with a focus on reactive flame retardants incorporated into the PS chain structure. In the industrial practice additive flame retardants are used to reduce the polystyrene flammability. Also, the main area of attention in the literature is physical modification. There are a few papers concerning the use of chemical modification, which can offer an interesting alternative. The problem of PS flame resistance is still present because of the necessity to phase out commonly used additive flame retardants according to European Community legislation. In the paper, combustion mechanism of polymers including thermal degradation of PS is discussed. The flammability test methods are described and the modifications of polystyrene with additive flame retardants are presented.