Ultrafine Fe(OH)3 nanoparticles formation via oxidation-mediated strategies towards remarkable flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant performances

Abstract

Transition metal nanomaterials are widely applied as flame retardants in materials. Herein, an oxidation-mediated strategy was developed for temporally controlling the in situ growth of Fe(OH)₃ nanoparticles on wool/nylon (W/N) fabrics. The formed particles exhibit homogeneous dispersion on the surface of W/N fabrics, with an average particle diameter of about 60 nm. These Fe(OH)₃ nanoparticles can simultaneously enhance both the flame retardancy (the limiting oxygen index increased by 18.8 % and passed the UL-94 burning test of V-0 rating) and mechanical performance (the tensile strength increased by 9.13 %) of the W/N fabrics. Meanwhile, the obtained W/N fabrics exhibit remarkable smoke-suppressant properties, demonstrating a reduction of 76.4 % and 65.5 % in smoke production rate and total smoke production, respectively, compared to the pure W/N fabrics. Furthermore, the prepared W/N fabrics exhibit good durability. This innovative strategy may be also extended for synthesizing other nanomaterials and pave a new path to develop high-performance flame-retardant materials.