doi: 10.3850/978-981-08-7614-2_IMPRES085

ABSTRACT

One of the fatal drawbacks of polymeric materials is their high flammability which could easily be a cause of a fire, while those materials have many other characteristics that are useful for our modern industrial society. Therefore, by controlling their combustion, we could save the materials and the energy used for it, and we possibly are able to improve the global environment as well. This basic study of their combustion has made this phenomenon clear; the flammability is strongly related to the mechanical strength which has been required to control in our daily lives. For instance, polyethylene is one of the most useful and large-production plastics, and it does not get burned when the molecular weight is below about 50,000. The same tendencies were observed on polystyrene, polycarbonate and epoxy resin. In addition, another technique to prevent fire is to form a thin and strong layer on the surface of polymers; this is actually a very interesting phenomenon in the field of solid (polymer) and gas (oxygen). The technique could reduce energy and material consumption, and it also could enhance the sense of danger in our society.

Keywords: Polymer, Combustion, Flame retardancy, Molecular weight, Fire.

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