Alginate-based flame-retardant coatings for sustainable fire protection: A review

With a growing global focus on sustainability, bio-based flame retardants like alginates are becoming key alternatives to conventional resource-heavy options. Sourced from renewable seaweed, alginates are esteemed for their film-forming properties, environmental compatibility, and modification versatility. These qualities make them ideal for creating flame-resistant coatings. This review examines recent progress in alginate-based flame-retardant coatings, emphasizing synthesis methods, functionalization strategies, mechanisms, and performance assessments. A comparative analysis of coating techniques is presented, including conventional coatings approaches, sol-gel processes, and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Modified alginates and additive flame retardants, including metal salts and nanoparticles, are discussed in detail. The findings suggest that alginate-based coatings hold significant promise for sustainable fire protection across multiple sectors, including textiles, construction, and electronics. Future research directions are also outlined, emphasizing the optimization of formulations and scalability for industrial applications.