Producing sustainable flame-retardant room temperature phosphorescent materials from natural wood assisted by borax

Yingxiang Zhai, Jingyi Zhou, Haolin Bai, Bing Tian, Miaojun Xu, Shujun Li, Shouxin Liu, Tony D. James, Zhongfu An, Jian Li, Zhijun Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Materials exhibiting room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and flame-retardant properties show great potential in a wide range of applications. However, such materials were rarely reported. Here, we found that the RTP of lignin is activated by borax. This is because borax forms non-covalent interaction with lignin, enhancing the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and restricting the vibration of lignin. Encouraged by this result, borax was introduced into a wood matrix (B-wood) to activate the RTP of naturally occurring lignin in a wood matrix with a lifetime of ∼263.1 ms. Moreover, B-wood displays V-0-level flame retardant properties, the highest level in UL-94 standard (typical standard in evaluating flame retardant properties). As a demonstration of potential applications, B-wood was processed into multifunctional wooden materials and films, which simultaneously exhibit flame retardant properties and generate RTP emission.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100278
JournalNext Materials
Volume6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2025

Keywords

  • Borax
  • Flame-retardant
  • Natural wood
  • Room temperature phosphorescence

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Producing sustainable flame-retardant room temperature phosphorescent materials from natural wood assisted by borax'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this