Multifunctional Fire‐Resistant Paper Based on Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Nanowires†.

Paper was one of the greatest inventions in ancient China, and it greatly promoted the rapid development of human civilization. Even in today's electronic information age, paper and paper‐derived products are still indispensable to people's daily work and life. However, the traditional paper based on cellulose fibers from plants has some problems. For instance: (1) papermaking consumes a large amount of precious natural resources such as trees; (2) the papermaking industry causes environmental pollution; (3) the traditional paper consisting of organic cellulose fibers is highly flammable and easy to burn; (4) the traditional paper based on cellulose fibers turns to yellow color with time; (5) the lifetime of the traditional paper is relatively short because of the degradation of cellulose fibers. More efforts are needed to investigate and solve these problems facing the traditional paper. In recent years, a new kind of multifunctional fire‐resistant paper based on ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires has been developed and investigated for various applications, and many research findings have been documented in the literature. This review article provides a comprehensive summary and discussion on recent research advances for this new kind of multifunctional fire‐resistant paper based on ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires, including the synthesis, properties, applications, and future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]