Flammability and combustion behavior of the polyester/cotton blended fabric via an independent flame-retardation for two components strategy

Abstract

Polyester/cotton (Terylene/cotton, T/C) blended fabrics are universally applied in clothing and household textiles due to the combination of excellent moisture absorption properties from cotton and dimensional stability from polyester, but high flammability and combustion resulting from the “scaffolding effect” become a major obstacle. Herein, we developed a novel flame-retarding T/C blended fabric to inhibit the “scaffolding effect” via independent flame-retardation for two components strategy, in which the copolymerized flame retardant of the polyester fibers and the cotton fibers were blended, and then halogen-free ammonium vinyl phosphonate (AMVP) was grafted onto the cotton component. The flammability and combustion behavior of the flame-retarding T/C blended fabric were assessed, and the mechanism of the flame retardant was analyzed. The results indicated that the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the treated blended fabric could be increased to 37.2 %, which had excellent self-extinguishing property. The peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) values of treated blended fabrics were severally reduced by 54.3 % and 66.5 % in comparison with the blended fabrics without grafted of AMVP. Furthermore, the combustible products of blended fabric generated during the thermal degradation process were effectively decreased in the gas phase due to the independent flame retardant char-formation of two components inhibited the “scaffolding effect”. This study offers a new flame retardant strategy for the fabrication of blended fabrics.