Preparation and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate/Pyrovatex CP composite fibers

Pyrovatex CP which was used as a flame retardant was added into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) aqueous solution. PVA/SA composite fibers modified with Pyrovatex CP (PSC) were prepared by wet spinning. It was characterized by FT-IR, SEM and TG. The results showed that Pyrovatex CP reacted with hydroxyl groups of PVA and SA. The breaking strength of PSC was slightly improved and the elongation at break of PSC increased rapidly. The flame retardancy and thermal stability of PSC were characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The results showed that when Pyrovatex CP was 33 wt%, the elongation at break and LOI of PSC were 66.29% and 30.4%, respectively. The residue of the PSC at 600 degrees C is 27%.