Aimplas Develops a new generation of resistant plastics to the fire

The Technological Institute of the plastic (Aimplas) has initiated the project Phoenix together with other 14 partners, including technology centres and companies of eight European countries between which stand out the Spaniards as it Advanced and Electrical Drivers Revi. With a length of 48 months and a budget of seven million euros, this European project coordinated by the Valencian centre and funded with European bottoms inside Seventh Program Marco (Grant Agreement number 310187), has like aim develop a new generation of fireproof plastics doing without the traditional additives halogenados. Since the fireproof additives halogenados employ in a wide rank of commercial articles like electrical and electronic equipment, cables of low tension or appliances it is necessary to cuidar especially his elimination. "The importance to delete them of the composition of these products is due to that it treats of some dangerous substances so much for the environingingment as for the public health, and in fact, his use and recycling contemplate in different managerial Europeans like the Weee and the RoHS”, as it explains Begoña Galindo, main researcher of the project in Aimplas.

The problem of the additives no halogenados that we can find at present in the market like alternative to the traditional is that they are much less effective. That is to say, the polymers have to be aditivados with between 30% and until 60% of substance ignifugante to achieve a good behaviour in front of the fire, whereas the halogenados are effective employing only 15% of additive. But when incorporating a so elevated percentage of load in the polymeric matrix modify to a large extent the mechanical properties of the final compound that like this results much more fragile. Like this then , the aim of Phoenix consists in developing fireproof additives no halogenados of high efficiency that present good properties in front of the fire but keeping a low content of the same in the final piece (15%). For this, will develop material nanoestructurados based in the combination of different types of nanopartículas, so that each one of them contributes a functionality to the group. “Grafeno, lignins modified, nanohidróxidos nanometálicos and ignifugos based in phosphorus encapsulados in hollow particles, will be combined and joined by the technology of car-assembling”, as it ensures Galindo. These retardantes to the flame will produce by means of methods of sustainable production from the punto of the hygiene in the work, hygiene of the consumer and environingingmental impact.