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Design and Development of Flame-Retardant Functional Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 773

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
Interests: safety of hazardous chemicals and inherent safety in chemical engineering; safety of new energy and new materials: hydrogen energy, fuel cells, nanomaterials and flame retardant materials; fire and explosion prevention in industrial processes and risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
Interests: high-efficiency eco-friendly flame retardants and flame-retardant polymeric materials; sustainable and functional thermosetting resins and their composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the rapidly evolving field of fire-safe functional materials that integrate flame retardancy with additional practical functionalities. In response to increasing safety demands across industries such as construction, transportation, electronics, and personal protection, there is a growing need for materials that not only resist ignition and flame spread but also perform critical roles in fire warning, thermal insulation, chemical hazard response, and intelligent coating applications. For this Special Issue, we invite contributions focused on the design, fabrication, characterization, and real-world application of advanced materials that integrate fire safety with functional performance, offering novel solutions that enhance protection while meeting sustainability and regulatory requirements.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: materials combining flame retardancy with fire-sensing or early-warning capabilities; thermally insulating and fire-resistant composites for structural applications; multifunctional protective coatings with flame-retardant and self-responsive properties; materials designed for hazardous chemical spill containment and fire suppression; photothermal and energy-managing coatings with inherent fire safety; sustainable and bio-based approaches to multifunctional fire-safe materials; integration of smart responsiveness (e.g., thermal, electrical, optical) into fire-retardant systems; advanced testing and evaluation methods for multifunctional performance under fire conditions.

We welcome original research, reviews, and communications from researchers and engineers worldwide who are advancing the frontiers of functional fire-safe materials. By compiling the latest innovations in this Special Issue, we aim to inspire interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the development of next-generation protective materials.

Prof. Dr. Yong Pan
Dr. Yuling Xiao
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

  • flame-retardant functional materials
  • multifunctional composites
  • sustainable fire protection
  • performance integration
  • emergency response materials
  • intelligent fire-protective coatings
  • photothermal regulation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 8063 KB  
Article
A Green P–N–Al Synergistic System for Eco-Friendly Flame-Retardant Polystyrene
by Zhunzhun Li, Qimei Zhang, Jian Cui and Yehai Yan
Materials 2026, 19(5), 941; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19050941 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 505
Abstract
Polystyrene (PS) is widely used yet highly flammable, and developing halogen-free flame retardants that ensure both high fire safety and mechanical performance remains a challenge. A green intumescent system comprising ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) and phytic acid–triethylenetetramine (PA–TETA) was incorporated into PS powder [...] Read more.
Polystyrene (PS) is widely used yet highly flammable, and developing halogen-free flame retardants that ensure both high fire safety and mechanical performance remains a challenge. A green intumescent system comprising ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) and phytic acid–triethylenetetramine (PA–TETA) was incorporated into PS powder via sequential solution grinding and hot pressing. The optimal formulation, PS/10ADP/15PA–TETA, achieved a limiting oxygen index of 28.5% with a UL-94 V-0 rating, and reduced the peak heat release rate and total heat release by 73.8% and 46.2%, respectively, while retaining 78.4% of the tensile strength of neat PS. The ADP/PA–TETA system operates via a cooperative condensed-phase charring and gas-phase dilution mechanism, achieving superior flame retardancy in PS composites. This work provides an effective and eco-friendly strategy for fabricating high-performance PS composites with balanced flame retardancy and mechanical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Flame-Retardant Functional Materials)
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