Phytic acid: A bio-based flame retardant for cotton and wool fabrics

Phytic acid (PA) is one of the widely used flame retardants (FRs) to treat a variety of fabrics owing to its high phosphorus content of ca. 28 wt% (with respect to its molecular weight), abundance, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility. The current review discusses the state-of-the-art of PA-based FRs for natural fabrics such as cotton and wool. The possibilities of making PA and FR-based multi-functional cotton fabrics having antimicrobial, conductive, hydrophobic properties are reported by virtue of the synergistic benefits associated with chitosan, silicon, nitrogen, and boron-based molecules. The factors influencing the FR behaviour as well as the durability of PA-based cotton and wool fabrics are discussed with respect to the concentration of PA, pH of the coating solution, temperature, and preparation methods. Holistically, PA has been proved to be a potential alternative to halogenated FRs to confer fire retardant property to cotton and wool fabrics.

Automated summary

Phytic acid is a widely used flame retardant with high phosphorus content for treating various fabrics, and it can have synergistic benefits with other molecules to provide multiple functionalities to cotton fabrics. This review discusses the impact factors on the flame retardant behavior and durability of cotton and wool fabrics treated with phytic acid.