A facile one-step synthesis of flame-retardant coatings on cotton fabric via ultrasound irradiation

This article reports a facile one-step methodology to increase fire resistance properties of cotton fabric. The flame-retardant coating for cotton fabric was synthesized with methyltriethoxysilane and organophosphates (M102B) through an ultrasound irradiation process. The coating structure and surface morphology of uncoated and coated fabrics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The flame-retardant properties, bending modulus, air permeability and thermal stability were studied by vertical burning test, cantilever method, air permeability test and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). As a result, the cotton fabric coated with 29.2% (mass increased) of flame-retardant coating was able to balance the flame retardant property and wearing comfort of the fabrics. The TGA results showed that the residue char of cotton was greatly enhanced after treatment with the coating, which has a high char forming effect on cellulose during testing. Furthermore, flame-retardant property of coated fabrics did not change significantly after 10 washing cycles. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.