NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Molecular Modeling of Polymer Flammability: Application to the Design of Flame-Resistant Polyethylene
Published
Author(s)
Marc R. Nyden, Glenn P. Forney, James E. Brown
Abstract
Molecular dyanmic simulations of the thermal degradation of polyethylene were used to idenfity factors which might be effective in reducing polymer flammability by promoting the formation of a residual char. Computer movies of the calculated trajectories indicate that corss-linked polymers, such as those obtained from exposure of polyethylene to ionizing radiation, will undergo further corss-linking when burned, eventually forming a high molecular weight, thermally stable char. This prediction was confirmed in flammability tests of gamma-ray-irradiated polyethylene.
Nyden, M.
, Forney, G.
and Brown, J.
(1992),
Molecular Modeling of Polymer Flammability: Application to the Design of Flame-Resistant Polyethylene, Macromolecules, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912809
(Accessed October 27, 2025)