Low cost paints reinforced with an Al₂O₃/Y₂O₃/graphene nanocomposite for fire-resistant wood coating applications

Low-cost eco-friendly 10wt%Al₂O₃/5wt%Y₂O₃/graphene (graphene nanosheets (GNSs): 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5wt%) nanocomposite powders were fabricated using a powder metallurgy technique. X-ray diffraction and FE-SEM confirmed that the phase and morphology of the surface are homogenous and crack-free with nanoscale particles. Thermal analysis (TGA/DSC) confirmed the decomposition sequence as a function of temperature. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was investigated in a comparison between samples of two compositions of oxygen, aluminum, and yttrium atoms at 75 eV, 158 eV and 158 eV at the equivalent of 1200 cps, 4200 cps, and 4600 cps, respectively. The results for fire resistance confirmed the impact of GNS percentage on fire resistance and fire endurance, and in a rising temperature test. In addition, compared with the period in previous experiments (35 s), the sample with paint with 10wt%Al₂O₃/5wt%Y₂O₃/2.5wt%GNSs (2.5 g of graphene) had a fire resistance time of 887 s at T = 190 °C. Thus, the present work demonstrated that low-cost and easily fabricated Al₂O₃/Y₂O₃/GNSs nanocomposite powders enhanced the properties of the wood-paint to be a good candidate in fire resistance applications.