MATERIALS

Chemtura adds more efficientFiremaster productsChemtura Corp, a leading global manufacturerof flame retardants, has introduced Firemaster®

600 and Firemaster 602, two new flame retar-dants for flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) thatare reported to be approximately 10% more effi-cient than existing products Firemaster 550 andFiremaster 552. Both of these new productsexhibit outstanding scorch resistance, minimaleffect upon foam processing, physical proper-ties and cigarette smoulder as well as afavourable environmental profile, the companysays. In addition, Firemaster 602 is specificallyrecommended for mechanically cooled foams.

FPFs generally incorporate flame retardantadditives to achieve fire safety. In recent years,flame retardant standards for these foam prod-ucts, which are used primarily as cushioning infurniture, mattress and automotive applications,have become increasingly more stringent – e.g.the new Consumer Product Safety Commissionstandard for mattress flammability. At the sametime, society demands that flame retardants areenvironmentally responsible. Chemtura claimsthat Firemaster 600 and Firemaster 602 fulfilboth requirements, and represent the latest in itsongoing commitment to offer customers onlythose products meeting the highest environmen-tal and fire-safety standards. Anne Noonan, VPand general manager Flame Retardants &Brominated Performance Products, says thatFiremaster 600 and 602 were developed inresponse to customers’ needs and “significantlyincrease efficiency” while maintaining the phys-ical performance and other favourable proper-ties of the Firemaster 550 family of products.

In other company news, Chemtura’s worldheadquarters facility in Middlebury has recentlybeen certified to the RC14001 internationalstandard for its integrated Responsible Care®

and environmental management system.

Contact: Chemtura Corp, 199 Benson Rd,Middlebury, CT 06749, USA; tel: +1-203-573-2220; fax: +1-203-573-2800; URL: www.chem-tura.com

Merck introduces new whiteand red pigmentsMerck has extended its Iriodin® inorganic pig-ment range with the additions of Iriodin 6103 IcyWhite and Iriodin 4504 Lava Red.

Iriodin Icy White is said to give plastics a fresh,very pure silver-white character. The secret lies inits manufacturing process, according to Merck: incontrast to other Iriodin silver-white pearl lustrepigments, which are based on natural mica, theIriodin Icy White substrate is synthetically pro-duced. The synthetically produced mica is coatedwith titanium dioxide and stabilized against yel-lowing. The result is a pure silver-white mass tone,high hiding power and powerful lustre, the compa-ny says.

The properties of the new pigment enable stylingswith very pure snow-white effects in plastics andprinting applications, Merck claims. According tothe company, it offers outstanding new design pos-sibilities, especially when white formulations areto be enlivened with pure silver-white effects, forexample for personal care products. Iriodin IcyWhite also offers great potential for new effectstylings in combination with light-coloured organ-ic or inorganic colour pigments.

Iriodin 4504 Lava Red is a new inorganic effectpigment that is said to show “the colour of aseething red lava flow”, with greater colour inten-sity compared to other effect pigments. As with thenew white pigment, its appearance is the result ofusing a synthetically produced substrate, in con-trast to other Iriodin interference pigments that arebased on natural mica. The plane parallel and verysmooth surface of the synthetic substrate allowsIriodin Lava Red an “extraordinary brilliance anda pure red mass tone”, which is visible from everyviewing angle, Merck claims.

The new effect pigment is high-temperature resist-ant and light stable and can be used in combinationwith both organic and inorganic colour pigments –mixtures with red pigments are said to provideespecially impressive effects. Lava Red is suitablefor use in numerous plastic, coating and printingapplications, where its high hiding power andcolour intensity can provide saturated colourstylings even in low concentrations, the companyclaims. Since its strong effect is achieved without

Additives for Polymers August 2006

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