High‐Performance Flame Retardants: <scp>MXenes</scp> and Other <scp>2D</scp> Inorganic Additives for Polymers

ABSTRACT Polymers are widely used due to their lightweight, low cost, and ease of processing, with global production exceeding 390 million tons in 2021. However, their inherent flammability poses serious safety risks, over 70% of polymer fires involve toxic smoke emissions, often causing more fatalities than flames. Conventional flame retardants, especially halogenated types, are effective but raise environmental and health concerns. High‐load inorganic additives also compromise mechanical properties and processability. This review highlights emerging strategies to enhance flame retardancy without sacrificing material performance, focusing on two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, particularly MXenes. Since 2019, MXenes have gained attention for their unique layered structure, thermal stability, and multifunctional mechanisms, including barrier formation, catalytic carbonization, and volatile absorption. This review aims to summarize research on MXenes as flame retardant additives from 2019 to the present. The review examines progress in using unmodified and modified MXenes, as well as MXene‐based flame retardant coatings and porous composites. Furthermore, approaches that employ other 2D inorganic flame retardant additives, including MoS 2 and graphene, have also been reviewed. Finally, the review outlines future directions for advancing MXene‐based flame retardants in sustainable polymer design.