Inhibited combustion of graphene paper by in situ phosphorus doping and its application for fire early-warning sensor

Abstract

Although traditional fire detectors are widely used in many occasions, they still show some limitations, such as slow fire response and poor resistance to severe conditions. Thus, it is urgent to design and exploit early fire-warning device with ultrafast response and flame-retardant ability to provide timely and fast alarm. Herein, graphene oxide paper functionalized with phosphoric acid (GO-PA) is fabricated by a facile and environmentally friendly water evaporation-induced self-assembly approach. Based on the flame-induced electrical resistance transformation characteristic of GO-PA, a fire-warning detector is designed to reliably monitor early fire. Fire alarm can be triggered within 0.5 s when GO-PA samples are attacked by fire. The GO-PA composite paper is more sensitive than GO-based fire sensors reported in the literature. Phosphorus atoms are in situ doped into graphene structure during flame exposure. Combustion reaction of GO is significantly retarded by the incorporated PA, thus fire duration time of GO is greatly improved. This work paves a new way to improve fire detection performance of GO-based sensors. This work provides a guide for the development of advanced fire detection and early-warning sensors to provide reliable and continuous alarm signals.