A Durable, Flexible, Large-Area, Flame-Retardant, Early Fire Warning Sensor with Built-In Patterned Electrodes

Fire has been giving rise to enormous loss of life and property worldwide annually. Early fire warning represents an active and effective means to avoid potential fire hazards before huge losses occur. Despite encouraging advances in early fire warning systems, to date there remains an urgent lack of the design of a durable, flexible, and universal early fire warning sensor for large-area practical applications. Herein, facile fabrication of a durable, flexible, large-scale early fire-warning sensor is demonstrated through constructing a hierarchical flame retardant nanocoating, composed of graphene oxide, poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), and hexagonal boron nitride, on cotton fabric in combination with the parallelly patterned conductive ink as built-in electrodes. As-designed large-scale sensor (>33 cm and extendable) exhibits a short alarming time of <3 s in response to external abnormal high temperature, heat, or fire. In addition to high washability, flexibility, resistance to abrasion and wear, this hierarchical nanocoating can self-extinguish, thus enabling the sensor to continue warning during fire. This work offers an inventive concept to develop a universal and large-scale very early fire-monitoring platform, which opens up new opportunities for their practical applications in effectively reducing fire-related casualties and economic losses.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the fabrication of a durable, flexible, and large-scale early fire-warning sensor through constructing a hierarchical flame retardant nanocoating on cotton fabric. The sensor shows a short alarming time in response to external high temperature, heat, or fire, and possesses high washability, flexibility, resistance to abrasion and wear. The hierarchical nanocoating can self-extinguish, enabling the sensor to continue warning during fire, thus offering an inventive concept for developing a universal and large-scale very early fire-monitoring platform.