Next-Generation Flame Retardant Additives: A Path Toward Sustainability and Safety

This work falls within the context of the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework to implement the European Commission Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. A new flame retardant additive for the battery cases of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is under development, and several SSbD strategies in the process and material design have been established to confirm that the commercial material is replaced by a safer and more sustainable alternative. In this context, the physicochemical identity of the material was investigated, and the potential release and transformation during the material’s lifecycle were evaluated. Two critical issues related to unwanted releases were: 1) material loss during the manufacturing process, and 2) airborne particles during the handling and processing of the powder. Regarding the former, it was observed that the graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with chitosan easily agglomerates and sediments fast. The latter release was avoided in the first place by using extraction cabins and by using personal protective equipment. Secondly, a digital twin was developed to optimise the operation of the cabin, reduce energy consumption, and prevent and control air emissions. Finally, the developed material was compared against a benchmark (Tier1) and an alternative, GO-cas (Tier2). Present results about the developed SSbD approach will be further spread around through the materials research community of the COST Action CA22123 European Materials Acceleration Centre for Energy (EU-MACE).