Mechanically Robust, Flame-Retardant Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites via Combining Cellulose Nanofibers and Ammonium Polyphosphate

Expanding the application range of flame-retardant polymer biocomposites remains a huge challenge for a sustainable society. Despite largely enhanced flame retardancy, until now the resultant poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites still suffer reduced tensile strength and impact toughness due to improper material design strategies. We, herein, demonstrate the design of a green flame retardant additive (ammonium polyphosphate (APP)@cellulose nanofiber (CNF)) via using the cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as the green multifunctional additives hybridized with ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The results show that PLA composite with 5 wt % loading of APP@CNF can pass the UL-94 V-0 rating, besides a high limited oxygen index of 27.5%, indicative of a significantly enhanced flame retardancy. Moreover, the 5 wt % of APP@CNF enables the impact strength (σi) of the PVA matrix to significantly improve from 7.63 to 11.8 kJ/m2 (increase by 54%), in addition to a high tensile strength of 50.3 MPa for the resultant flame-retardan...