Metal-organic frameworks for flame retardant polymers application: A critical review

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered as the potential flame retardant substances with proper flame retardancy. Despite their unique structural features and adjustable chemical composition, MOFs alone could hardly meet all the requirements of the commercial flame retardant applications. Recently, co-application of MOFs and inorganic or organic additives has been introduced as a novel approach to obtaining highly efficient flame retardant polymer nanocomposites. The synergistic effect of these additives can resolve the limitations of MOFs. This review addresses the flame retardant mechanism of MOFs, and their composites application and new prospects of MOFs to promote fire safety in polymers. This review focuses on the latest studies on MOFs as efficient flame retardant additives for diverse polymer composites and their impact on thermal stability and flame retardancy.