Abstract

Traditional pad-dry-cure (PDC) and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) methods were used to study the effectiveness of cotton fabrics treated with casein from bovine milk and eco-friendly inorganic materials, urea and diammonium phosphate. Trials were completed successfully. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC), 45° angle and vertical flammability (clothing textiles test) and limiting oxygen index (LOI) tests were carried out for the treated cotton fabrics. When the treated fabrics were tested using the 45° angle flame, the ignited fabrics self-extinguished and left behind a streak of char. Treated higher add-on fabrics were neither consumed by flame, nor produced glowing embers upon self-extinguishing. All untreated cotton fabrics showed limiting oxygen index (LOI) values of about 18% oxygen in nitrogen. For formulations with casein, urea and diammonium phosphate, LOI values of treated fabrics were 29-40% oxygen in nitrogen when add-on values for the formulation were 9.5-18.7wt%. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to characterize the chemical structure on the treated fabrics, as well as, the surface morphology of char areas of treated and untreated fabrics. The results indicate that fabrics treated with casein are flame resistant. The treated fabrics exhibited improved thermal stability, as evidenced by increased ignition times and lower heat release rates. The results of this study show that casein coated flame-resistant fabrics can be readily applied to textile fabrics using a continuous process that is ideal for commercial and industrial applications.

Highlights

  • Cotton is the most comfortable, breathable, and softest of all natural and man-made fibers

  • Eco-friendly supercritical carbon dioxide and pad-dry-cure (PDC) layering processes were used when casein was introduced into the urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) flame retardant chemical system

  • As a result of this study, economic inorganic flame-retardant finishing treatments based on urea and diammonium phosphate have been applied to cotton fabrics using scCO2 and PDC methods

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Summary

Introduction

Cotton is the most comfortable, breathable, and softest of all natural and man-made fibers. Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is often used as a flame retardant chemical to yield semi-durable finishes for cotton [14] It causes a drop in the temperature of combustion of the material, decreases the highest rates of weight loss during combustion and leads to the formation of large amounts of chars. In an effort to make flame retardant cotton fabrics, urea and DAP were used for phosphorus and nitrogen components because they are economically attractive and environmentally friendly compounds. Inclusion is not widely used to incorporate FRs. An alternative method to enclose molecules into fabrics involves the use of a supercritical fluid (SCF). Supercritical fluids (SCF) are widely applied as a media to process biopolymers and synthetic polymers They provide an alternative technique to modify natural cellulose [21]. The surface morphology of the burned areas was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the burning behavior of each compound

Materials
Fabric Treatment
Thermal Properties
Flame Retardant Properties
Conclusions

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