Layer-by-Layer Nanostructured Coatings for Flame Retardancy

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the work carried out during the last years on the use of the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technique for the surface modification and nano-structuring in the flame retardancy field. This approach has turned out to be very effective, also because of the nearly unlimited choice of materials and the wide tuning of the deposition parameters. Initially, the inorganic or hybrid organic-inorganic coatings that firstly demonstrated the flame retardancy potential of the LbL assemblies, deposited on both synthetic and natural fabrics will be described. Then, the effective application of this technique to other types of substrate such as foams and bulk materials will be presented. For each substrate under consideration, the coating composition will be thoroughly discussed and correlated with the resulting flame retardant features. Finally, the use of a spray-assisted Layer-by-Layer deposition as well as the evolution of the coating composition towards sustainable bio-based coatings will be also reviewed.