US flame-retardant plastics and additives materials supplier FRX Innovations (Boston; www.frx-innovations.com) has announced the development of flame-retardant polycarbonate grades said to be free of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) known as forever chemicals.

The company said it has demonstrated the ability to replace the PFAS chemical KPFBS, otherwise known as Rimar salt, allowing resin producers and compounders specialising in PC blends and alloys to offer products without the material.

The company said it has filed a patent on the formulation, which also replaces the additive polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), used as an anti-drip agent while maintaining flame-retardant properties and other imperative material properties such as impact resistance. The firm noted that is has also achieved transparent formulations.

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FRX Innovations called the development “an enormous breakthrough” as flame retardant PC and its alloys are used in a wide variety of everyday products and many industrial applications.

FRX Innovations produces Nofia brand flame-retardant additives, which are said to be green and non-leaching. Additionally, the company noted that its line of polyphosphonates are made using sustainable green chemistry principles such as a solvent-free production process, no waste by-products, and near 100% atom efficiency, and are halogen, PFAS and melamine free.