A durable flame retardant for cellulosic fabrics

A novel halogen- and formaldehyde-free flame retardant named Neo-FR was synthesized and applied to cellulosic fabrics. The chemical structure of the flame retardant was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The flame retardant performance was evaluated by Limiting oxygen index (LOI) and vertical flammability tests. The results indicated that the flame retardant had excellent flame retardancy and durability for cellulosic fabrics. The surface morphology of treated fibre and fibre char residue were observed through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM graphs demonstrated that the Neo-FR system played intumescent flame retarding mechanism on cotton fibre. The thermal property of the flame retardant treated cotton fabric was investigated through thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicated that char residue of the treated fabrics was about 36.5%, which was much higher than that of untreated fabric. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation of the cotton samples treated with Neo-FR system were much less affected than those treated by a commercial durable flame retardant agent (Pyrovatex CP New). The laundering test results show that the Neo-FR system is a durable flame retardant for cellulosic fabrics. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.