Green fabrication of flame retardant and superhydrophobic materials with application in oil‐water separation

Abstract

Flame-retardant materials with superwettability have received broad attention and research in the field of oil-water separation in recent years. However, it remains big challenging to fabricate flame-retardant and superwettable materials in terms of the complexity and environmental performance. Herein, a non-fluorinated coating containing flame retardants phytic acid/3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and silica micronparticle/hexadecyltrimethoxysilane was developed. The performance of the coated samples is evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimetry, and, water contact angle tests. The percentage of residue at 800 C for coated samples (cotton fabric, absorbent cotton, filter paper, cottonwood, packing cardboard) was reduced by 47.6%, 42.2%, 45.5%, 53.2%, and 50.8%, respectively. However, their control samples reduced by 87.4%, 84.6%, 88.4%, 77.2%, and 72.2%, respectively, under the same conditions. The percentage of residue at 800 C for coated samples is much higher than that of the pristine samples. The coated cotton fabric showed excellent flame retardant and superhydrophobic properties. Specifically, the coated cotton fabrics exhibited self-extinguishing properties in the flame burning tests, and the LOI increased significantly from 17.7% to 50.8%. Furthermore, the peak heat release rate and the total heat release values of the coated cotton fabric were significantly declined by 83.4% and 83.6% compared to untreated cotton fabrics, respectively. Additionally, due to its super-hydrophobic surface, the coated cotton fabric exhibited super-strong self-cleaning ability and waterproof performance. The coated cotton fabrics also showed good organic solvent/oil and water separation capabilities while reducing the risk of fire.

Flame retardancy efficacy of phytic acid: An overview

“…There are number of papers that reported on the use of casting technique to prepare PA/polymer (nano)composite materials. 47,48 In this case, the suspension medium consisted of the FR and polymer is left to dry with or without aid of heat. The resulting (nano)composite materials are characterized by uniform distribution of the fillers within the system.…”

“…Polyelectrolyte (PEC) composed of PA and cationic materials have been also studied as suitable FR for different polymers. 48,72 This kind of modification serve as platform to fabricate IFR formulations with "green" identity, natural-based cationic materials are usually employed as one component of IFR. The processing technique can broadly be categorized into two, namely: chemical and physical bonding.…”

“…There are number of papers that reported on the use of casting technique to prepare PA/polymer (nano)composite materials 47,48 . In this case, the suspension medium consisted of the FR and polymer is left to dry with or without aid of heat.…”