Application of low-frequency oxygen plasma treatment to polyester fabric to reduce the amount of flame retardant agent

To reduce the quantity of chemicals required to produce flame retardant polyester fabrics, a low-frequency oxygen plasma treatment at low temperature (<50 degrees C) was carried out before padding the polyester fabrics with alkyl-phosphonate-structured flame retardant agents. The concentration of the flame retardant agent was varied to determine the plasma treatment effect on the amount of chemicals used in the finishing process. All padded fabrics which had pre-plasma treatment or not, were also washed five times to determine the washing resistance. The surfaces of the polyester fabrics were characterized by FT-IR (ATR) and SEM. The flame retardant performances of the polyester fabrics were evaluated by the LOI test. Hydrophilic characteristics of the polyester fabrics were also tested after the plasma treatment. According to the results, the hydrophilic properties of the polyester fabrics improved after oxygen plasma treatment. Moreover, the plasma treatment allowed the reduction of the flame retardant concentration to 50 g/L in the padding system, however, it was out of the optimal concentration range; the chemical amount consumed was half of the maximum concentration without the LOI changing significantly.