Structural analysis of α-zirconium phosphate/cerium phosphate/graphene oxide nanocomposites with flame-retardant properties in polyvinyl alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is widely used in home textiles, coatings, industrial materials and other fields. Unfortunately, its flammability limits its application, so research into enhancing its flame-retardant properties has attracted widespread attention in recent years. In this work, a α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP)/cerium phosphate (CPO)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite (ZCG) flame-retardant material was prepared using a hydrothermal method. The microstructure and composition of the composite were analyzed in detail, showing that hexagonal flakes of α-ZrP were attached on the surface of CPO rods. An intumescent, flame-retardant system consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) with ZCG was fabricated to produce flame-retardant polyvinyl alcohol. The effects of the intumescent flame-retardant-based ZCG composite on the flame-retardant properties and thermal stability of PVA were investigated. The results revealed that the PVA/APP/ZCG composites have better flame retardancy, and that PVA and ZCG synergistically enhance the flame retardancy of the composite material. A ternary nanocomposite was developed, which exhibits novel synergistic flame-retardant effect with APP-containing PVA.