Phosphate polymers are the workhorse of flame retarding, especially in economic applications.

They are chemically defined as ammonium polyphosphates which are available in two forms, referred to as type I and type II

The principal difference between the types is the molecular weight which is a function of the length of the polymer chain. The longer chain polymers exhibit low water solubility and shorter chain variants have been modified to be water soluble.

The range of phosphate polymer flame retardants offered by International Speciality Chemicals features 3 core product types, all are supplied in powder form, for ease of handling.

A standard grade phosphate polymer with small particle size is a non-water soluble product, designed for use in a variety of applications from coatings to plastics etc. the most common application being the flame retardation of paper and cellulose products.

For water-borne coatings, the water-soluble AP101 version is the preferred choice. With simple formulation modification, almost any water-based paint system can be rendered flame retardant and in doing so, enhance the protection properties of the coating.

For solvent paint systems and resin applications, the melamine coated version is the preferred choice. The melamine acts both to reduce inherence viscosity of the coating, resulting from the addition of the phosphate polymer to the resin and also has flame retardant functionality itself.

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