IntroductionThe history of polymers dates back millions of years. These “primitive” polymers were created by nature to meet the needs of information storage, energy storage and information reproduction. Man-made polymers are a more recent invention, dating back to the last two hundred years or so. These polymers are generally made of highly flammable hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Fires caused by a combination of human carelessness and the physical properties of hydrocarbons have caused millions of dollars in property damage and claimed an untold number of lives. It is this fact that has led scientists to dedicate time and resources to making polymers safer. In the following paragraphs, the mechanism underlying the combustion of polymers will be discussed, as well as the techniques used to slow the speed of the fire and/or extinguish it completely. A section will also be dedicated to a review of the research underway over the last five years to improve the flame retardancy of polymers. The combustion of a polymer can be classified as an exothermic oxidation reaction. The reaction begins when the polymer is heated to its onset temperature or when the chemical bonds begin to cleave. As a result, the polymer begins to release volatile gases (reducers), which mix with atmospheric oxygen (oxidizer). When this fuel mixture reaches autoignition temperature or is exposed to an external energy source, it undergoes combustion or oxidation reaction. The products of which are water, carbon dioxide and heat. Although most of the heat will be radiated into the surrounding environment, some will be used to initiate further polymer decomposition. The used oxygen is replenished via the convection current generator...... in the center of the structure...... of the paper. For this series of experiments, the group modified the synthesis method, replacing the small molecule surfactant with a cationic copolymer (PVAc). They did this so they could control the morphology of the resulting polymer complex. As a result of this change, the physical properties of polymers were undertaken with the inclusion of this copolymer. They found that for the EVA-0 and EVA-NC0 control groups both Young's modulus and tensile strength increase and toughness decreases compared to the value of the unmodified EVA. The toughness rebounded when clay was added. This is contrary to what was expected, as the copolymer is more amorphous than EVA. If the trend were followed, Young's modulus and tensile strength should decrease while toughness would increase. The authors contribute to this opposite trend by the fact that the copolymer has Tg compared to EVA