Ecological issue of polymer flame retardancy

The use of polymer flame retardants has an important role in saving lives. The main flame retardant systems for polymers currently in use are based on halogenated, phosphorous, nitrogen, and inorganic compounds. All of these flame retardant systems basically inhibit or even suppress the combustion process by chemical or physical action in the gas or condensed phase. Conventional flame retardants, such as halogenated, phosphorous, or metallic additives, have a number of negative attributes. An ecological issue of the application of conventional flame retardants demands the search of new polymer flame retardant systems. Among the new trends of flame retardancy are intumescent systems, polymer nanocomposites, preceramic additives, low‐melting glasses, different types of char formers, and polymer morphology modification processing. The brief explanations on the three major types of flame retardant systems (intumescent systems, polymer nanocomposites, and polymer organic char formers) are the subject of this overview.