Interface decoration of exfoliated MXene ultra-thin nanosheets for fire and smoke suppressions of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) has broad applications as lightweight materials due to its multiple advantages and unique properties. Nevertheless, toxicity emission under fire conditions remains a major concern, particularly in building fire scenarios. To circumvent the problem, it is imperative that an effective flame retardant is sought to suppress the flame and release of combustion/smoke products whilst maintaining the favorable material properties of TPU. In the current work, a simple method is proposed for the preparation and utilization of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and tetrabutyl phosphine chloride (TBPC) modified Ti3C2 (MXene) ultra-thin nanosheets. During the cone calorimeter tests, significant reduction in peak heat release rate (51.2% and 52.2%), peak smoke production rate (57.1% and 57.4%), peak CO production (39.4% and 41.6%) and peak CO2 production (49.7% and 51.7%) were recorded by the mere introduction of 2 wt.% CTAB-Ti3C2 and TBPC-Ti3C2 to TPU. These superior fire safety properties resulting from the significant reduction of the fire, smoke and toxicity hazards are attributed to the excellent dispersion, catalytic and barrier effect of Ti3C2 ultra-thin nanosheets in TPU. Future applications of exfoliated MXene nanosheets as flame retardant appear to be very promising.