ABSTRACT
Nanoclays and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) are found to be effective fire retardants that are widely used for fabricating fire-retardant nanocomposite coatings (FRNCs). The efficiency of other nanoclays, such as hectorite, kaolinite, and bentonite, needs to be addressed in the field of FRNCs. Polymers that are being used in FRNCs are limited to acrylates, epoxies, and urethanes. The demand for FRNCs is more because the amount of nanoparticles to be added to the polymer substrate is very less when compared to the amount of the equivalent microsized particles. POSS can be easily incorporated into a polymer matrix and exhibits an enhancement of properties such as solubility, thermal and thermomechanical stability, mechanical toughness, optical transparency, dielectric constant, and fire retardancy. The combustion process of polymers is similar to that happening in other materials. Generally, the combustion process of polymers includes three main steps: heating, decomposition, and ignition.
