Bio-based Phytic Acid/chitosan and Polycarboxylic Acid for Eco-friendly Flame Retardant and Anti-crease of Cotton Fabric

Cotton is one of the most common natural textile fiber, while the high flammability and easy to crease restrict its applications. Improving the flame retardancy and anti-crease property of cotton fabric is very important for its industrial applications. In this study, phytic acid and chitosan were used to construct bio-based IFR system which was used along with eco-friendly 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) to enhance the flame retardant and crease-resistant properties of cotton fabric simultaneously. The results of LOI and vertical burning indicated that the multifunctional modified cotton fabric would greatly improve the flame retardant properties. The modified cotton achieved the LOI values of over 31% indicating excellent flame retardancy. And the multifunctional modified cotton fabric obtained the CRA over 260 degrees revealing excellent crease-resistant performance. This research provides basis for the development of multifunctional modification of natural cellulosic fibers to improve their flame retardant and crease-resistant properties using bio-based products and eco-friendly polycarboxylic acid.

Automated summary

This study utilized phytic acid and chitosan to construct a bio-based flame retardant system, along with eco-friendly BTCA, to simultaneously enhance the flame retardant and crease-resistant properties of cotton fabric. The modified cotton fabric demonstrated excellent flame retardancy and crease-resistant performance.