Objective
Polyfire will develop and upscale techniques for processing halogen-free, fire-retardant nanocomposites and coatings based on unsaturated polyester resins and nanoclays. These materials will improve public safety and environmental impact by eliminating halogenated fire-retardants, which produce toxic combustion products. The ability of well-dispersed nanoparticles to enhance the fire-retardancy of thermoplastic polymers is well-established, but thermoset polyester has received relatively little attention. In a recent collaborative project, the fire-retardancy of polyester resin was dramatically improved on a lab scale by adding small amounts of organomodified nanoclay, along with significantly reduced amounts of other, non-halogen fire-retardant additives. However, significant further work is required to scale-up production and to assess the health and environmental impacts. This project will develop and upscale the nanoclay modification and will use novel mixing techniques to enable industrial-scale production of the nano-filled polyester. The project will generate turn-key solutions for easy integration into industrial SMEs. Nanocomposites and coatings will be produced and subjected to stringent tests. The technology will be demonstrated by producing 3 large-scale case study parts from construction, rail and marine sectors. Comprehensive health and environmental impact assessments will be conducted.
Fields of science
Not validated
Not validated
Programme(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-NMP-2008-SMALL-2
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research projectCoordinator
S41 9QG Chesterfield
United Kingdom