UV resistant and fire retardant properties in fabrics coated with polymer based nanocomposites derived from sustainable and natural resources for protective clothing application

Herein, UV-blocking and fire resistance cotton fabric was designed by coating polyurethane based MnO2-FeTiO3 (MFT) nanocomposites. The FeTiO3 (FT) nanoparticles were prepared using acid extraction from naturally occurring ilmenite sand and subsequently manganese acetate was added to synthesize the nanocomposite which was then thoroughly characterized. A colloidal suspension of MFT nanocomposite in TPU was prepared using sol-gel approach and subsequently coated onto cotton fabric. The surface morphology and the coverage of MFT on the coated fabric was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The structural changes, and thermal stability of the coated and uncoated fabrics was investigated by Fourier transform Infrared with Attenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis respectively. The MFT coated cotton fabrics exhibited a strong UV blocking ability and offered fire resistant properties as assessed using limited oxygen index. Furthermore, the coated cotton fabric retained its properties even after ten water-laundering cycles thereby offering durable, sustainable smart fabric for protective clothing application.