The influence of poorly-/well-dispersed organo-montmorillonite on interfacial compatibility, fire retardancy and smoke suppression of polypropylene/intumescent flame retardant composite system

Recent Progress in Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials for Flame Retardance and Fire-Warning Applications

Graphene-like 2D nanomaterials, such as graphene, MXene, molybdenum disulfide, and boron nitride, present a promising avenue for eco-friendly flame retardants. Their inherent characteristics, including metal-like conductivity, high specific surface area, electron transport capacity, and solution processability, make them highly suitable for applications in both structural fire protection and fire alarm systems. This review offers an up-to-date exploration of advancements in flame retardant composites, utilizing pristine graphene-like nanosheets, versatile graphene-like nanosheets with multiple functions, and collaborative systems based on these nanomaterials. Moreover, graphene-like 2D nanomaterials exhibit considerable potential in the development of early fire alarm systems, enabling timely warnings. This review provides an overview of flame-retarding and fire-warning mechanisms, diverse multifunctional nanocomposites, and the evolving trends in the development of fire alarm systems anchored in graphene-like 2D nanomaterials and their derivatives. Ultimately, the existing challenges and prospective directions for the utilization of graphene-like 2D nanomaterials in flame retardant and fire-warning applications are put forward.

Design of Hierarchically Tailored Hybrids Based on Nickle Nanocrystal-Decorated Manganese Dioxides for Enhanced Fire Safety of Epoxy Resin

A novel and hierarchical hybrid composite (MnO₂@CHS@SA@Ni) was synthesized utilizing manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanosheets as the core structure, self-assembly chitosan (CHS), sodium alginate (SA) and nickel species (Ni) as surface layers, and it was further incorporated into an epoxy matrix for achieving fire hazard suppression via surface self-assembly technology. Herein, the resultant hybrid epoxy composite possessed an exceptional nano-barrier and synergistic charring effect to aid the formation of a compact layered structure that enhanced its fire-resistive effectiveness. As a result, the addition of only 2 wt% MnO₂@CHS@SA@Ni hybrids led to a dramatic reduction in the peak heat release rate and total heat release values (by ca. 33% and 27.8%) of the epoxy matrix. Notably, the peak smoke production rate and total smoke production values of EP/MnO₂@CHS@SA@Ni 2% were decreased by ca. 16.9 and 38.4% compared to the corresponding data of pristine EP. This was accompanied by the suppression of toxic CO, NO release and the diffusion of thermal pyrolysis gases during combustion through TG-IR results. Overall, a significant fire-testing outcome of the proposed hierarchical structure was proven to be effective for epoxy composites in terms of flammability, smoke and toxicity reductions, optimizing their prospects in other polymeric materials in the respective fields.