Overview of the recent literature on flame retardancy and smoke suppression in PVC

This paper presents an overview of the recent literature on flame retardancy of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). A short overview of mechanisms of thermal decomposition of PVC, especially those which lead to char formation, is also presented because this gives insight into the mechanisms of flame retardant action. New developments in the area are mostly focused on combinations of various flame retardants and smoke suppressants in the search for synergistic effects. Because different additives show different mechanisms of action, synergistic combinations are very probable. New developments in phosphate ester plasticizers are reported in the literature.