Flame‐resistant and tough polyvinyl alcohol film with ultraviolet‐absorbing capacity

Abstract Fireproofing the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane is an essential and urgent reinforcement to ease the restriction in flame‐resistant requirements. The traditional method by the physical and heterogenous introduction of a large number of metal hydroxides, halogenated and organic compounds efficiently enhance the flame‐retardancy but severely weakens the biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and transparency of PVA membranes. In this work, two bio‐extracted compounds, phytic acid (PA) and creatine (CR) are employed to construct a fireproof, tough and transparent PVA membrane. The LOI of the PVA/PACR membrane increases from 18% to 30% and reaches a V–0 grade in UL‐94 testing. Meanwhile, the mechanical strength receives 20% reinforcement due to a chemical crosslinking between PVA, PA, and CR. Intriguingly, unsaturated chemical bonds from PA and CR endow a favorable UV‐absorbing capacity to the PVA membrane, which will benefit the anti‐aging and food freshness retaining demands in advanced packaging applications.