Thermally induced fire early warning aerogel with efficient thermal isolation and flame‐retardant properties

Abstract Due to the energy‐saving demands in chemical industries and building fields, thermal isolation materials (TIMs) are widely used. The general exploitation of combustible TIMs calls for timely fire alerts as well as flame‐retardant modifications. This work provides a novel paradigm to address the issues simultaneously by preparing a multifunctional aerogel via a facile and environmentally friendly freeze‐drying method. With the doping of ammonium polyphosphate and graphene oxide (GO), cellulose nanofiber‐based aerogel exhibits excellent thermal‐isolating as well as flame‐retardant properties. The composite aerogel displays flameless pyrolysis as well as increased residue char. A fire‐warning detector is designed to reliably monitor the early fire. Based on the flame‐induced electrical resistance transformation characteristic of GO, it endows the composite aerogel with an ultra‐fast fire‐response time of ~2.6 s and a durable alarm signal. The flame‐retardant and fire‐alarm mechanisms are concluded. Overall, these results suggest that this composite aerogel has an enticing prospect in chemical industries and high‐rise buildings, which may lay the foundation for designing multifunctional TIMs. The modified aerogel broadens its application territory by intrinsic fire‐alarm characteristics, which covers the deficiency of delaying reaction as well as restricted application scenarios in traditional fire detectors.