Abstract
The demand for textiles with functional properties has been increasing over the past few decades, driven by both civilian and military applications. In this study, we present a method to impart flame retardant (FR) and insect repellent (IR) properties to nylon-cotton blends. Flame retardancy was achieved by covalently attaching phytic acid, a bio-derived material, to the hydroxyl groups of cotton in nyco fabrics. Subsequently, these FR-treated nyco fabrics were coated with an acylate-based monomer along with permethrin to confer insect-repellent properties. FTIR-ATR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of weight of phytic acid on nyco fabric and the weight gain from this was 6 % with respect to initial fabric weight. The multifunctional fabrics exhibited a 200 % increase in char formation upon thermal degradation compared to untreated nyco. Moreover, the multifunctional fabrics demonstrated self-extinguishing properties with a char length of <15 cm, whereas untreated fabrics burned completely. In cone calorimeter experiments, FR-treated fabrics showed a reduction of over 25 % in total heat release compared to untreated controls. The addition of FR facilitates char formation and the release of non-flammable gases such as water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ammonia (NH3), suggesting a condensed phase mechanism of FR action as evident from TGA-FTIR evolved gas analysis. The insect repellent properties (IR) were evaluated using a tube test method as described by the World Health Organization, revealing a knockdown rate exceeding 98 % for fabrics treated with insect repellent.
Published Version
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