Abstract: A flame retardant thermoplastic polymer composition, having a major amount of a thermoplastic polymer and a flame retardant additive comprising a phosphinic acid salt, a zinc salt and a melamine salt, in an amount effective to provide flame retardance to said polymer, and a low Tg glass containing phosphorous, tin and fluorine, in an amount sufficient to reduce the shear viscosity of the composition to less than about 10 Pa·s at a shear rate of about 10,000/sec and a temperature of 280° C., as measured by ASTM D-3835 is provided. Also provided is a flame retardant composition comprising phosphinic acid salt, a zinc salt, a melamine salt and the low Tg glass and a process for forming the flame retardant thermoplastic polymer composition by incorporating the flame retardant composition into the molten polymer.

Abstract: A flame-retardant resin composition comprises a base resin (A), such as a polyester, polyamide or polycarbonate resin, and an organophosphorus compound (B) having at least one of the following formulas (I), (II) and (III): where A is selected from O, S, SO2, a single bond, alkyl, and —CH2—P1; P1 is a phosphorus-containing group of the formula: R1 and R2 are the same or different and each is selected from H, O-alkyl, O-aryl, alkyl, aryl, and OM; R3 is H or alkyl; M=Na, K, Zn, Al, Ca; a is an integer from 0 to 4, provided that a is at least 1 unit for each polymer chain; n is an integer from 1 to 100,000 and m is an integer from 0 to 100,000.

Abstract: A process for preparing a polybromoaryl ether, comprising adding to a solvent for the polybromoaryl ether a mixture of (1) at least one compound of the structure HO—Ar—X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, wherein Ar is an aryl group and X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 are independently selected from hydrogen and bromine, provided that at least one of X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is bromine, (2) at least one alkali or alkaline metal hydroxide, and (3) at least one polymerization initiator, wherein the solvent for the polybromoaryl ether is a non-solvent for alkali metal bromides.

Abstract: A process for preparing a polybromoaryl ether, the polybromoaryl ether prepared by this process comprising adding to a solvent for the polybromoaryl ether a mixture of (1) at least one compound of the structure HO—Ar—X1X2X3X4X5, wherein Ar is an aryl group and X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 are independently selected from hydrogen and bromine, provided that at least one of X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is bromine, (2) at least one alkali or alkaline metal hydroxide, and (3) at least one polymerization initiator, wherein said solvent for the polybromoaryl ether is a non-solvent for alkali metal bromides. The current invention also relates to a composition comprising a mixture of a polymeric resin and the polybromoaryl ether prepared by the process of the current invention.

Abstract: A process for preparing a polybromoaryl ether comprising adding to a solvent for the polybromoaryl ether a mixture of (1) at least one compound of the structure HO—Ar—X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, wherein Ar is an aryl group and X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 are independently selected from hydrogen and bromine, provided that at least one of X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is bromine, (2) at least one alkali or alkaline metal hydroxide, and (3) at least one polymerization initiator, wherein the solvent for the polybromoaryl ether is a non-solvent for alkali metal bromides.

Abstract: A process for preparing a polybromoaryl ether, the polybromoaryl ether prepared by this process comprising adding to a solvent for the polybromoaryl ether a mixture of (1) at least one compound of the structure HO—Ar—X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, wherein Ar is an aryl group and X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 are independently selected from hydrogen and bromine, provided that at least one of X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is bromine, (2) at least one alkali or alkaline metal hydroxide, and (3) at least one polymerization initiator, wherein said solvent for the polybromoaryl ether is a non-solvent for alkali metal bromides. The current invention also relates to a composition comprising a mixture of a polymeric resin and the polybromoaryl ether prepared by the process of the current invention.

Abstract: A process for the solventless polymerization of brominated styrenes includes blending monomers of brominated styrenes with a polymerization initiator, feeding the monomer/polymerization initiator mix into a prepolymerizer wherein the monomers begin to polymerize, and feeding the monomer/polymerization initiator mix and the partially polymerized bromostyrene into a screw-type extruder to drive the polymerization to a high degree of completion in a short period of time. Optionally, the monomers may be preheated before mixing with the initiator, or a heater may be included in the prepolymerizer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the purification of brominated styrenic homo-polymers and co-polymers. The purification process reduces or removes contained aliphatic bromine, and free bromine resulting from the reaction of the brominated reagent with the polystyrene backbone. In addition, the method optionally removes occluded inorganic halide impurities from the polymer. These impurities are considered undesirable due to their adverse effects on thermal aging and stability of the final end use resin formulations.

Abstract: A process for the solventless polymerization of brominated styrenes includes blending monomers of brominated styrenes with a polymerization initiator, feeding the monomer/polymerization initiator mix into a prepolymerizer wherein the monomers begin to polymerize, and feeding the monomer/polymerization initiator mix and the partially polymerized bromostyrene into a screw-type extruder to drive the polymerization to a high degree of completion in a short period of time. Optionally, the monomers may be preheated before mixing with the initiator, or a heater may be included in the prepolymerizer.

Abstract: A flame retarding additive composition, useful in thermoplastic polyolefins, is disclosed comprising a mixture of a halogenated bisphenol derivative and the copolymer of a halogenated vinyl aromatic grafted onto polyolefin. The preferred bisphenol derivative is tetrabromobisphenol A bis(dibromopropyl ether), and the preferred graft copolymer comprises bromostyrene grafted onto isotactic or syndiotactic polypropylene. Also disclosed are the flame retarded, thermoplastic polyolefins prepared using the foregoing additive compositions.