▎ 摘　　要

Nanocomposites based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and graphene nanosheets have been prepared by polymer solution blending and their flame retardant properties have been evaluated by a cone calorimetry test. It has been shown that there is a strong influence of graphene nanosheets on the fire behaviour of the composites with a significant reduction ill peak heat release rate (PHRR) and a much longer time to ignition. Compared to pure PVA, the PHRR of PVA filled with 3 wt.% graphene is reduced by 49%. The flame retardancy of graphene for PVA matrix surpasses that of both Na-MMT and MWNTs with the same addition content. Such a remarkable behaviour might be explained by the forming of a compact, dense and uniform char during combustion. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.