Eco-Friendly and Facile Integrated Intumescent Polyelectrolyte Complex Coating with Universal Flame Retardancy and Smoke Suppression for Cotton and its Blending Fabrics

Abstract

Cotton and its blended fabrics are widely used textile materials in daily life; however, their high flammability brings serious fire hazards. It remains a huge challenge to endow cotton and its blended fabrics through simple and universal technology. In this work, a novel water-based polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) coating was developed from chitosan and a water treatment agent (amino trimethylphosphonic acid). By controlling the degree of ion pair aggregation through pH adjustment, the intumescent and stable PEC coating can be constructed quickly via facile blading coating and curing processes. High transparency allows for the deposition of the coating with little effect on the original pattern of the coated fabric. Additionally, when the coated fabrics were exposed to flame, the PEC coating underwent a quick self-char-forming reaction in advance and formed a protective char layer covered on the fibers. Thus, the PEC coating with low adding-on (11.5–21.5 wt %) shows universally high flame retardancy for cotton, polyester/cotton blends, and polyester/poly(vinyl alcohol)/cotton blends. The coated fabrics show excellent extinguishing performances, high limiting oxygen index values of 27.5%–28.5%, and total release smoke inhibition of 42%. This work provides a promising universal technology for manufacturing fire-safety cotton and its blends in a simple and eco-friendly way.

Effect of synthesized lignin-based flame retardant liquid on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of cotton textiles

“…The peaks at 2358, 2184, 1724, and 1056 cm -1 (1100 cm -1 for CLSL and CLD-5) corresponded to the absorption of CO 2 , stretching vibration of CO, vibrations of C=O of carbonyl compounds, and C-O-C of ethers, respectively (Chen et al 2020; Wang et al 2023). The peak signals for untreated cotton intensi ed when the temperature reached 345°C.…”

Facile Fabrication of Highly Efficient Chitosan-Based Multifunctional Coating for Cotton Fabrics with Excellent Flame-Retardant and Antibacterial Properties

“…Chitosan, a positively charged biopolysaccharide, is commonly used as a multifunctional coating [31,32] for fabrics due to its excellent antibacterial properties, carbonization ability, and film-forming properties [33]. However, the flame-retardant effect of coatings containing only chitosan is relatively limited.…”

“…In recent years, excessive amounts of phosphorus-containing inorganic or organic acids have been used to dissolve chitosan for the preparation of chitosan phosphonate flame retardants or coatings, which have also demonstrated favorable flame-retardant effects on cotton fabrics [32,35]. However, it is worth noting that in almost all previous studies, the amount of phosphorus-containing acid employed far exceeded the required amino protonation.…”

Ambient-Pressure-Dried Biomass Aerogel toward Robust Cross-Linked Networks and Exceptional Mechanical Performances during Combustion

“…In fire protection engineering, phosphorus additives can produce phosphoric acid during combustion, which can promote the dehydration of the polyhydroxy-contained biomass into char with high residue production. The formation of a P-doped char layer with cross-linking structures manifested enhanced thermal stability and mechanical strength. , In addition, N-doped char in the form of graphitic-N and pyridinic-N exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties. , Thus, it can be speculated that if the highly cross-linked polyaromatic char with dense as well as continuous porous structures quickly and largely formed, the mechanical robust property can be achieved at high temperatures. − …”