Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen Flame-Retardant Cable Material Compatibilizer: Core Technology to Balance Green and Safety Challenges

Against the backdrop of the "dual carbon" strategic goals and the continuous upgrading of global fire safety standards, the wire and cable material industry is undergoing a systemic transformation from traditional halogen-containing flame-retardant systems to low-smoke zero-halogen (LSOH/LSZH) technology. As a key support for this technological transition, compatibilizers have surpassed the traditional scope of additives and become a core element determining the comprehensive performance of cable materials and overcoming technical bottlenecks. This article aims to systematically analyze the technological evolution, existing challenges, and future development trends of compatibilizers for low-smoke zero-halogen flame-retardant cable materials, providing theoretical foundations and practical references for technological breakthroughs in the industry.

I. Market Drivers: Mandatory Environmental and Safety Requirements Drive Technological Upgrades

Currently, new energy infrastructure, rail transit networks, and smart grid construction have become the core drivers of demand for low-smoke zero-halogen flame-retardant cable materials. Authoritative data indicates that by 2025, the market size of low-smoke zero-halogen flame-retardant polyolefin cable materials in China is expected to exceed 7.5 billion yuan, with the construction sector accounting for over 40%, and demand in the new energy and rail transit sectors showing accelerated growth. Behind this trend are the dual effects of stringent regulatory requirements and market demands:

Rigid Environmental Compliance Constraints: The mandatory implementation of regulations such as the EU RoHS Directive and EN50575 requires export and high-end domestic products to completely eliminate halogens, driving the transition of material technology toward halogen-free solutions.

Upgraded Fire Safety Performance: Modern buildings and public transportation systems demand higher safety margins in fire scenarios, requiring materials with extremely low smoke density, no toxic gas emissions, and efficient flame-retardant properties to ensure personnel evacuation and property protection.

In this context, compatibilizers, as a core technical means to balance the flame-retardant performance and mechanical properties of materials, have become a key link in the industrial chain upgrade.

II. Technical Core: Molecular Engineering Solutions to Overcome Performance Paradoxes

Low-smoke zero-halogen flame-retardant cable materials use polyolefins as the matrix, compounded with high proportions of inorganic flame retardants such as aluminum hydroxide (ATH) or magnesium hydroxide (MDH). However, the interfacial incompatibility between inorganic fillers and organic resins leads to the deterioration of material mechanical properties, creating an inherent contradiction between "high flame retardancy and high mechanical strength." Compatibilizers achieve technological breakthroughs through the following mechanisms:

Interfacial Modification Engineering: Through molecular structure design, the polar groups of compatibilizers interact with the surface of inorganic fillers, while the non-polar segments are compatible with the polymer matrix, forming an interfacial transition layer. This significantly improves filler dispersibility, reduces system viscosity, and maintains mechanical properties in high-filler systems.

Synergistic Flame-Retardant Enhancement: In composite flame-retardant systems such as phosphorus-nitrogen and metal hydroxide-silicon systems, compatibilizers participate in charring reactions through chemical modifications (e.g., maleic anhydride grafting), promoting the formation of dense char layers and exerting flame-retardant effects in the condensed phase while simultaneously suppressing smoke generation.

Processing Performance Optimization: To address the poor processing fluidity of high-filler systems, high-performance compatibilizers can regulate melt rheological behavior, ensuring that materials meet high-speed extrusion process requirements even at high flame-retardant filler content (≥60%), guaranteeing production efficiency and finished product surface quality.

III. Practical Challenges: Technical Bottlenecks and Industrial Chain Coordination Issues

Despite continuous technological progress, the application of compatibilizers still faces multi-dimensional challenges:

Performance-Cost Balance Dilemma: The demand for high flame-retardant grades drives high-filler formulations but leads to reduced mechanical properties of materials, requiring expensive specialty additives for compensation, which constrains cost competitiveness.

Raw Material Volatility Risks: The price and supply chain stability of basic polyolefins (e.g., LLDPE) directly impact formulation economics, placing higher demands on the volatility resistance of compatibilizer formulations.

Dependence on High-End Manufacturing Equipment: The production of some high-performance cross-linked low-smoke zero-halogen materials still relies on specialized equipment such as imported electron accelerators, limiting the large-scale application of high-end compatibilizer systems.

IV. Future Evolution: Multi-Dimensional Technology Integration and Sustainable Development

The future development of compatibilizer technology will focus on three main directions:

Precision Molecular Design and Functional Integration: Customizing molecular structures based on application scenarios to develop multi-functional composite compatibilizers that combine toughening, flame-retardant enhancement, and anti-aging properties, achieving "one agent, multiple effects."

Bio-Based and Circular Economy Pathways: Aligning with the trend of full-life-cycle environmental protection, accelerating the research and development of bio-based compatibilizers, while using compatibilizer technology to address the performance degradation of recycled materials in flame-retardant cables, promoting circular economy practices.

Integration of Nanotechnology and Intelligence: The industrial application of nanoscale compatibilizers and nanocomposite flame-retardant systems (e.g., layered silicates, carbon nanotubes) will break through traditional high-filler technology bottlenecks. Intelligent manufacturing technologies will enable precise formulation control and process optimization, enhancing material comprehensive performance and production efficiency.

Conclusion

In the process of green and intelligent transformation in the wire and cable industry, compatibilizer technology, as a core lever to overcome performance bottlenecks and achieve a balance between safety and environmental protection, holds strategic significance for promoting industrial technological upgrades. Looking ahead, it is necessary to deepen research on polymer interfacial chemistry, strengthen industrial chain collaborative innovation, and accelerate the engineering application of advanced compatibilizer technologies. This will help achieve the development goals of cable materials—"inherently safe, environmentally friendly, and high-performance"—and support China's low-smoke zero-halogen flame-retardant material industry in securing a leading position in the global value chain.