Phosphorus-Doped Graphene Oxide Layer as a Highly Efficient Flame Retardant

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal Vol. 21; no. 44; pp. 15480 - 15485
• Main Authors: Some, Surajit, Shackery, Iman, Kim, Sun Jun, Jun, Seong Chan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 26.10.2015; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Chemistry; Cloth; Fires; flame retardation; Fourier transforms; Graphene; graphene oxide; Infrared spectroscopy; Oxides; Phosphorus; Spectrum analysis; surface functionalization; flame retardation; graphene oxide; surface functionalization; phosphorus
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201502170

A simple and easy process has been developed to efficiently dope phosphorus into a graphene oxide surface. Phosphorus‐doped graphene oxide (PGO) is prepared by the treatment of polyphosphoric acid with phosphoric acid followed by addition of a graphene oxide solution while maintaining a pH of around 5 by addition of NaOH solution. The resulting materials are characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The as‐made PGO solution‐coated cloth exhibits excellent flame retardation properties. The PGO‐coated cloth emits some smoke at the beginning without catching fire for more than 120 s and maintains its initial shape with little shrinkage. In contrast, the pristine cloth catches fire within 5 s and is completely burned within 25 s, leaving trace amounts of black residue. The simple technique of direct introduction of phosphorus into the graphene oxide surface to produce phosphorus‐doped oxidized carbon nanoplatelets may be a general approach towards the low‐cost mass production of PGO for many practical applications, including flame retardation. Putting out fires: Phosphorus‐doped graphene oxide (PGO) is prepared by the treatment of polyphosphoric acid with phosphoric acid followed by addition of a graphene oxide solution while maintaining the pH at around 5 by addition of NaOH solution. The as‐made PGO solution‐coated cloth exhibits excellent flame‐retardation properties.