An overview is presented of the literature on the flame retardancy of thermoplastic polyesters, especially poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT). The main focus is on publications of the last fifteen years; however, some earlier work of major importance is discussed as well. Because PET and PBT almost totally convert to volatile fragments upon exposure to heat, providing fuel to the flame, it is a challenging task to flame-retard these polymers. Although many of the commercially available systems for flame retardancy of PET and PBT consist of a halogen-containing additive and a synergist, more recent publications and patents emphasize halogen-free, particularly phosphorus-based systems. Several phosphorus-based additive or reactive systems are well-established for use in PET textiles, and phosphorus-based additives have recently been introduced for PBT. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry

Flame retardancy of thermoplastic polyesters—a review of the recent literature

Kinetics of thermal oxidative degradation of phosphorus-containing flame retardant copolyesters

Fire performances comparison of back coating and melt spinning approaches for PET covering textiles

A comparative study of POSS as synergists with zinc phosphinates for PET fire retardancy

(1975). THE STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES OF FIBRES. Textile Progress: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 1-74.

The structures and properties of fibres

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) containing hexabromobenzene, tricresyl phosphate, or a combination of triphenyl phosphate and hexabromobenzene, pentabromotoluene, or octabromobiphenyl was extruded or spun at 280°C into monofilaments or low-denier yarn, respectively. Only combinations of the phosphorus- and halogen-containing compounds resulted in flame-retardant poly(ethylene terephthalate) systems, without depreciating their degree of luster and color quality. The melting temperature, the reduced viscosity, and the thermal stability above 400°C of these flame-retardant systems were in most cases comparable to those of poly(ethylene terephthalate) itself. Phosphorus-bromine synergism was proposed with flame inhibition occurring mostly in the gas phase.

S. W. Shalaby

Papers

Flame-retardant poly(ethylene terephthalate)†