Fire, Polymers, and Retardants: Innovations in Fire Safety
A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255). This special issue belongs to the section "Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation of Combustion and Fire".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 February 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Interests: high performance materials; flammability and fire retardancy of textiles and structural/semi-structural composites; fire gas analysis; fire retardant mechanisms; fire retardant surface coatings; effects of fire retardants on mechanical properties of heat/fire; exposed composites
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The widespread use of polymeric materials in modern applications from consumer products, such as textiles and electronics, to structural components, such as polymers and polymeric composites for construction and transportation, raises significant concerns regarding fire safety due to their inherent flammability. While traditional fire retardants have played a vital role in mitigating these risks, some of these are either environmentally questionable or inadequate in high-performance contexts. With growing regulatory pressures and safety demands, the focus is now on the development of novel polymers and environmentally benign fire retardant systems. Recent advancements in fire safety have moved beyond conventional additive-based approaches toward multifunctional strategies. These include nanostructured fire retardants, intumescent and bio-based systems, surface-engineered polymers, and responsive materials that activate under thermal stimuli. Such advancements are reshaping the design paradigm for fire-retardant polymers by enhancing fire resistance while preserving mechanical properties and environmental compliance.
This Special Issue of Fire aims to collect papers and reviews on polymer-based fire safety systems, with a particular emphasis on sustainable and high-performance fire retardant technologies. Its scope encompasses a broad range of polymers, including thermoplastics, thermoset, biomaterials, etc., and covers all aspects of the material development, such as synthesis, processing, characterisation, thermal stability evaluation, fire testing, and mathematical modelling.
Prof. Dr. Baljinder Kandola
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- polymeric materials and polymeric composites
- inherent flammability
- fire retardant
- nanostructured fire retardants
- intumescent and bio-based systems
- surface-engineered polymers
- responsive materials that activate under thermal stimuli
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