Flame Retardancy Of Cotton Research Articles

Ecotoxicity Assessment of α-Amino Acid-Derived Polyamidoamines Using Zebrafish as a Vertebrate Model.

The aquatic ecotoxicity of three α-amino acid-derived polyamidoamines (PAAs) was studied using zebrafish embryos as a viable vertebrate model organism. The PAAs examined were water-soluble amphoteric polyelectrolytes with a primarily negative charge, which were efficient flame retardants for cotton. The fish embryo acute toxicity test performed with PAA water solutions using 1.5-500 mg L-1 concentrations showed that toxicity did not statistically differ from the control. The survival rates were indeed >90%, even at the highest concentration; the hatching rates were >80%; and the numbers of morphological defects were comparable to those of the control. Tests using transgenic zebrafish lines indicated that the numbers of microscopic vascular and musculoskeletal defects were comparable to the control, with one random concentration showing doubled alterations. Sensory-motor tests in response to visual and tactile stimuli were also performed. In the presence of PAAs, embryos exposed to alternating light/dark cycles showed an insignificant mobility reduction during the dark phase. Touch-evoked response tests revealed a mild effect of PAAs on the neuromotor system at concentrations > 10 mg L-1. The cystine/glycine copolymer at 100 mg L-1 exhibited the greatest effect. Overall, the studied PAAs showed a minimal impact on aquatic systems and should be further considered as promising ecofriendly materials.

Flame retardancy of cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics treated by coating with polymer blends containing aluminum and phosphorus metals under the effect of gamma irradiation

The main objective is to impart flame retardancy finishing to cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics. In this process, the fabrics were first treated by coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/plasticized starch (PLST) blends and then exposed to gamma irradiation. The treated fabrics were then loaded with aluminum sulphate [Al2(SO4)3] and monosodium dihydrophosphate (MSDP). The treated fabrics were characterized by the measurements of water absorption, crease recovery, surface morphology and tensile mechanical. Moreover, thermal stability of the treated fabrics was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The thermal stability was further investigated by determining the activation energy by two different methods based on Broido and the Horowitz–Metzger approximation equations. The results showed that the chemical and physical properties of the treated fabrics with PVA/PLST/metal composites were significantly improved. The flammability test in terms of time to catch fire (TF), time after glowing (TG) and weight left (WL) showed that the treated fabric and loaded with [Al2(SO4)3] and MSDP metals displayed improved flammability than untreated fabrics. In addition, the durability of the flame retardancy finished fabrics was evaluated by measuring the limiting oxygen index (LOI) after repeated washing cycles according a standard testing method. The results of durability test indicated that the fabrics treated with composites based on both [Al2(SO4)3] or MSDP metals proved to satisfy the flame retardancy with minimum weight lose percent.

Nanostructured Flame-Retardant Layer-by-Layer Architectures for Cotton Fabrics: The Current State of the Art and Perspectives.

Nowadays, nanotechnology represents a well-established approach, suitable for designing, producing, and applying materials to a broad range of advanced sectors. In this context, the use of well-suited "nano" approaches accounted for a big step forward in conferring optimized flame-retardant features to such a cellulosic textile material as cotton, considering its high ease of flammability, yearly production, and extended use. Being a surface-localized phenomenon, the flammability of cotton can be quite simply and effectively controlled by tailoring its surface through the deposition of nano-objects, capable of slowing down the heat and mass transfer from and to the textile surroundings, which accounts for flame fueling and possibly interacting with the propagating radicals in the gas phase. In this context, the layer-by-layer (LbL) approach has definitively demonstrated its reliability and effectiveness in providing cotton with enhanced flame-retardant features, through the formation of fully inorganic or hybrid organic/inorganic nanostructured assemblies on the fabric surface. Therefore, the present work aims to summarize the current state of the art related to the use of nanostructured LbL architectures for cotton flame retardancy, offering an overview of the latest research outcomes that often highlight the multifunctional character of the deposited assemblies and discussing the current limitations and some perspectives.

Synergism between α-amino acid-derived polyamidoamines and sodium montmorillonite for enhancing the flame retardancy of cotton fabrics

Polyamidoamine (PAA)/sodium montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite coatings were investigated as flame retardants for cotton to ascertain whether the addition of clay improved the efficacy of PAAs thanks to its ability to act as insulating shield during combustion. Three amphoteric PAAs were obtained by reacting N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide with natural α-amino acids, namely glycine (M-GLY), arginine (M-ARG) and glutamic acid (M-GLU). These PAAs act as intumescent flame retardants for cotton performing well in horizontal flame spread tests (HFSTs) but failing to inhibit combustion in vertical flame spread tests (VFSTs). All three PAAs have been proven to form strong interactions in water with MMT via their protonated tert‑amine groups. The presence of 12.5 % MMT did not significantly change the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of PAA coatings, while 2 % MMT add-on affected those of both untreated and PAA-treated cotton fabrics. In HFSTs, substituting 2 % MMT for PAA did not significantly change the flame retardant efficacy of the coatings. In VFSTs, the 2 % MMT/14 % PAA combination inhibited cotton ignition, regardless of the PAA structure, while in the 2 % MMT/11 % PAA combination M-GLU protected cotton from ignition, M-ARG extinguished the flame and M-GLY burned completely. By further reducing the PAA content to 8 %, only M-GLU quenched cotton combustion, leaving an RMF of 82 %. The fact that neither MMT nor PAAs alone induced flame extinguishment at the same add-ons used in the adopted formulations suggests a synergistic behavior of MMT and PAAs.

Silica-Containing Phosphorus-Based Sol-Gel Finishing to Improve Flame Retardant Performance of Cotton Fabrics

In this paper, the sol-gel technique was used to design hybrid phosphorus-doped silica structures for improving the thermal stability and flame retardancy of cotton fabrics. To this aim, diethylphosphatoethyltriethoxysilane (DPTS) was employed as phosphate alkoxysilane in a multistep procedure that involved multiple layers (from 1 to 6) depositions. The multi-layer coatings were applied by padding using sols containing appropriate molar ratios of the precursor, anhydrous ethanol, catalyst, and hydrochloric acid. Moreover, the synergism P-N on flame retardancy of cotton was assessed by introducing 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as an N-donor precursor in DPTS sols. The effects of the catalyst during the alkoxide reaction and the silica amount applied by sol-gel treatment on the thermo-oxidative behavior of the treated fabrics were deeply studied. The creation of the silica skeleton on the cotton surface and the interactions between the cellulosic fibres and the doped layer were investigated using FT-IR ATR spectroscopy. Moreover, thermal and thermo-oxidative stability, flammability properties, and combustion behavior of the sol-gel treated cotton fabrics were also studied, proving the effectiveness of the sol-gel coating in the fire protection of the cellulosic substrate.

Use of calcium chloride to enhance the efficacy of polyamidoamines as flame retardants for cotton

The role of metal ions in improving the flame resistance of cotton prompted to investigate whether adding CaCl2 to the glycine-derived polyamidoamine M-GLY, an excellent intumescent flame retardant for cotton, increased its efficacy in this respect. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated a superior thermo-oxidative stability of cotton when treated with M-GLY/CaCl2 mixtures, particularly above 550°C, compared to cotton treated with either M-GLY or CaCl2, suggesting that they act synergistically. In horizontal flame spread tests, M-GLY/CaCl2 coatings proved to be even more efficient than M-GLY coatings. In vertical flame spread tests (VFSTs), where M-GLY failed to protect cotton even at add-ons >30%, M-GLY/CaCl2 coatings with add-ons 7% and 2%, respectively, inhibited cotton ignition producing only modest afterglow, and leaving an 82% residue. No other amino acid-derived polyamidoamine, except those containing disulfide groups, has proved as efficient in VFSTs, even at much higher add-ons. The set of data reported here prompts that the ionic interactions of calcium ions with the carboxylate groups of M-GLY induce the formation of even larger amounts of char compared to M-GLY and lets envisaging a synergistic action of these two components. This finding paves the way for the study of new polyamidoamine-based organic/inorganic flame retardants for cotton.

Synthesis of a phosphorus- and nitrogen-containing flame retardant and the fabrication of flame retardant cotton

A novel phosphorus- and nitrogen-containing flame retardant (APNTHE) was synthesized through the reaction of N, N, N′, N′-tetrakis (2-hydroxypropyl) ethylenediamine, phosphoric acid and urea. Then, the APNTHE solution with a concentration of 120 g/L was used for the preparation of flame retardant cotton (FR-cotton). The elemental compositions, surface morphology, thermal stability and combustion behavior of the cotton before and after modification were investigated. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis showed that the char residue of the treated fabric at 800°C was as high as 35.09% under a nitrogen atmosphere. Flammability tests after different LCs indicated that FR-cotton had durable flame retardancy. Compared to the blank sample, the peak of heat release rate and total heat release of the FR-cotton decreased by 91.89% and 90.53%, respectively. The char residual and TG-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis illustrated that APNTHE played a flame retardant role both in the gas phase and the condensed phase. All the results demonstrated that APNTHE can be regarded as a prospective flame retardant for cotton.

The Thermo-Oxidative Behavior of Cotton Coated with an Intumescent Flame Retardant Glycine-Derived Polyamidoamine: A Multi-Technique Study

Linear polyamidoamines (PAAs) derived from the polyaddition of natural α-amino acids and N,N′-methylene bis(acrylamide) are intumescent flame retardants for cotton. Among them, the glycine-derived M-GLY extinguished the flame in horizontal flame spread tests at 4% by weight add-on. This paper reports on an extensive study aimed at understanding the molecular-level transformations of M-GLY-treated cotton upon heating in air at 300 °C, 350 °C and 420 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) identified different thermal-oxidative decomposition stages and, coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, allowed the volatile species released upon heating to be determined, revealing differences in the decomposition pattern of treated and untreated cotton. XPS analysis of the char residues of M-GLY-treated cotton revealed the formation of aromatic nanographitic char at lower temperature with respect to untreated cotton. Raman spectroscopy of the char residues provided indications on the degree of graphitization of treated and untreated cotton at the three reference temperatures. Solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) provided information on the char structure as a function of the treatment temperature, clearly indicating that M-GLY favors the carbonization of cotton with the formation of more highly condensed aromatic structures.

Polyamidoamines Derived from Natural α-Amino Acids as Effective Flame Retardants for Cotton.

In this paper, bioinspired polyamidoamines (PAAs) were synthesized from N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide and nine natural α-amino acids: L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine (M-LEU), L-histidine, L-serine, L-asparagine, L-glutamine (M-GLN), L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid (M-GLU) and their performance as flame retardants (FRs) for cotton were determined. The aim was to ascertain if the ability to protect cotton from fire by the process of intumescing, previously found for the glycine-derived M-GLY, was a general feature of α-amino acid-derived PAAs. None of the PAAs ignited by flame impingement, apart from M-LEU, which burned for a few seconds leaving 93% of residue. All of them formed carbon- and oxygen-rich, porous chars with a graphitic structure in the air at 350 °C, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. All samples were tested as FRs for cotton by horizontal flame spread tests. At a 5% add-on, M-GLU and M-GLN extinguished the flame. The same results were obtained with all the other PAAs at a 7% add-on. The α-amino acid residues influenced the FR performance. The most effective were those that, by heating, were most suitable for producing thermally stable cyclic aromatic structures. All PAA-treated cotton samples, even when burning, left significant residues, which, according to scanning electron microscopy analysis, maintained the original cotton texture.

Facile synthesis of a high efficiency and durability L-citrulline flame retardant for cotton

A novel flame retardant (FR), the ammonium salt of citrulline-penta (methylphosphonic acid) (ACPMPA) based on L-citrulline was synthesized, and its structure was characterized by 13C, 1H, and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The ACPMPA flame retardant molecule contains five ammonium salts of phosphorus acid and one ammonium salt of carboxylic acid, which allowed the covalent attachment of ACPMPA onto cellulose via -P=O(-O-C) and –COOC bonds. The results showed that the treated cotton fabrics had very high flame retardance and excellent durability. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of cotton fabric treated with 35%-ACPMPA reached 49.2% and only decreased to 34.2% after 50 laundry cycles. Vertical flame tests also demonstrated that the treated cotton fabric acquired good flame retardance. The thermogravimetry (TG) and TG-IR results showed that the treated cotton left more residues and released almost no flammable volatiles at high temperatures. The cone calorimetry results showed that the treated cotton released less heat than pure cotton. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that the structure of the treated cotton fabric was almost unchanged, and no free formaldehyde was detected, indicating that the treated cotton was safe. The treated cotton fabric also retained good tensile strength and whiteness.

Phytic acid-based flame retardants for cotton

Development of sustainable flame retardants for cotton-based materials has become an active research interest as many of the currently used flame retardants are harmful both to the environment and to human health. Phytic acid is a natural resource that has shown potential to be an environment-friendly flame retardant. In order to design highly efficient flame retardants based on phytic acid, detailed knowledge of the decomposition process is essential. In this study, cotton samples were prepared with pure phytic acid, as well as salts of sodium or calcium ions. All samples improved the fire performance, most notably sodium phytate, as shown by a simple burning test, as well as by thermogravimetric analysis. The formation of char prevents the degradation of cotton, leaving a residual mass. Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to characterize the intermediate products formed during the pyrolysis process. Both phytate salts polymerize, sodium to a higher degree than calcium.

A phytic acid-based chelating coordination embedding structure of phosphorus–boron–nitride synergistic flame retardant to enhance durability and flame retardancy of cotton

A halogen-free, non-formaldehyde and eco-friendly bio-based synergistic flame retardant containing phosphorus–boron–nitrogen elements were synthesized and applied on cotton fabrics. Three curing cycles in cotton finishing process were employed. Samples treated with 30 g/L PBN solutions revealed the best result, while high concentrations did not gain more weight increase nor improved performance on the products. The SEM morphologies suggested penetration of ammonium phytate groups to the inner space and floatation of boron-containing groups on the surfaces of the cotton fibers. FTIR and XPS analyses indicated that after 50 laundering cycles, the boron can still stay on the surface of the treated cotton fibers. The LOI value of 30 g/L PBN finished cotton fabrics reached 45.0% and remained at 37.6% after 50 LCs. The char length of the treated cotton sample was 63 mm, whereas the control sample was 300 mm. The TG analysis in N2 demonstrated that the decomposition temperature of the treated fabric slightly decreased, while the thermal oxidation stability was significantly improved. Cone calorimetry analysis showed that the peak heat release rate, total heat release, and effective heat combustion of the treated samples were substantially reduced compared with the control sample at 50 kW/m2. LOI, TG, vertical burning and cone calorimetry showed that the PBN treated samples had good flame retardancy and thermal stability.

A bio-resourced mannitol phospholipid ammonium reactive flame retardant for cotton with efficient antiflaming and durability

Bio-resourced mannitol was employed to synthesize eco-friendly ammonium salt of mannitol hexaphosphate acid ester (AMHPE) by facile, solvent-free tactics. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) of cotton treated with 20–30% AMHPE reached 36.0–42.3% to obtain high-efficiency flame retardancy. After 50 laundering cycles, the LOI value of 30% AMHPE treated cotton still retains an LOI value of 27.9%, revealing outstanding durability owing to new P–O–C covalent bonds formed bewteen –P = O(ONH4)2+ groups of AMHPE and cotton. The decomposition temperature of treated cotton was significantly lowered and its char residue was much higher than control cotton in N2. The PHRR and THR values of treated cotton were notably declined to 93.41% and 56.54% respectively, and the residual is 28 times higher by contrast. The combustion products and flame retardant mechanism of treated cotton were analyzed by TG-IR and cone calorimetry. These results indicate that AMHPE flame retardant cotton has acquired efficient flame retardancy, excellent durability and thermostability. Solvent-free synthesis of bio-resourced N–P synergetic flame retardant possessing excellent flame retardancy, unexceptionable durability and thermostability to reduce cotton fire hazard.

Imparting flame resistance to citric acid–modified cotton fabrics using DNA

Textiles are one of the basic needs of humankind. Although textiles satisfy many human needs, they are implicated in the loss of life and property since many fibers and fabrics are inflammable. Many chemical finishes are applied to improve the flame resistance of textile materials. Unfortunately, most of the flame retardants are synthesized chemically, need large quantities to be used, cause adverse impact on the textiles and also expensive. In this research, a novel approach to using DNA from herring sperm as flame retardant for cotton was explored. Surface of the textiles was modified with citric acid to increase free carboxyl content and hence absorption of DNA. It was observed that DNA was absorbed into the cotton fabrics using chemical adsorption according to the quasi-second-order-kinetic model. Flammability of the cotton before and after the addition of DNA was checked. It was observed the length of fabrics damaged due to flames was only 29 mm compared to the original length of 350 mm. Such a high increase in flame resistance has not been reported for natural materials. In addition, the chemical reaction between DNA and cotton fabric can improve the flame retardant–washing resistance of the finished cotton fabric. In this article, the strategy of using biological macromolecules to flame-retardant fabrics can provide research basis for the design and development of efficient and environmentally friendly flame retardants.

A Phosphorous‐Aluminium‐Nitride Synergistic Flame Retardant to Enhance Durability and Flame Retardancy of Cotton

AbstractIn this paper, a Phosphorous ‐ Aluminium ‐ Nitride synergistic flame retardant (PAN) was synthesized by phosphoric acid, glycerol, aluminium sulfate and urea, though a one‐pot process. The PAN was durably grafted onto the surface of cotton fabric by the simple process of soak‐dry‐cure. At the same time, the synergistic effect of the aluminium element and Phosphorous ‐ Nitrogen flame retardants (PN) was investigated. The flame‐retardant effect is the best when the conttent of alumium is 2.5 mol% (percentage of phosphoricacid) in PAN. The analyses of FTIR and XPS results suggested that PAN was grafted onto the cotton by forming a strong P−O‐C covalent bond on the surface of fiber. The SEM and Whiteness test proved that the flame‐retardant finishing cotton fabric do possess good morphology and whiteness. The thermal stability and flame retardancy of the PAN treated cotton fabric were assessed by TG and vertical flammability test. Then, found the aluminium sulfate in PAN had synergistic effect, and the PAN had significant flame retardancy in application.

Hybrid Silica-Phytic Acid Coatings: Effect on the Thermal Stability and Flame Retardancy of Cotton.

New hybrid sol–gel coatings based on tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and phytic acid (PA) were designed and applied to cotton; the flame-retardant properties of the treated fabrics were thoroughly investigated by means of flame-spread and forced-combustion tests. The first goal was to identify the TEOS:PA weight ratio that allowed the achievement of the best flame-retardant properties, with the lowest final dry add-on on the fabrics. Therefore, different TEOS:PA sols were prepared and applied to cotton, and the resulting coated fabrics were thoroughly investigated. In particular, solid-state NMR spectroscopy was exploited for assessing the condensation degree during the sol–gel process, even for evaluating the occurrence of possible reactions between phytic acid and the cellulosic substrate or the alkoxy precursor. It was found that a total dry add-on of 16 wt % together with 70:30 TEOS:PA weight ratio provided cotton with self-extinction, as clearly indicated by flame-spread tests. This formulation was further investigated in forced-combustion tests: a significant reduction of heat release rate (HRR), of the peak of HRR, and of total heat release (THR) was found, together with a remarkable increase of the residues after the test. Unfortunately, the treated fabrics were not resistant to washing cycles, as they significantly lost their flame-retardant properties, consequently to the partial removal of the deposited hybrid coatings.

Superior flame retardancy of cotton by synergetic effect of cellulose-derived nano-graphene oxide carbon dots and disulphide-containing polyamidoamines

Linear polyamidoamines containing disulphide groups (SS-PAAs) were prepared by polyaddition of L-cystine with 2,2-bisacrylamidoacetic acid (B-CYSS), N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (M-CYSS) and 1,4-bisacryloylpiperazine (BP-CYSS). They were evaluated as flame retardants for cotton, alone or with cellulose-derived nano-graphene oxide (nGO) carbon dots, to assess whether, due to their potential as radical scavengers, the latter would improve the already good performance of SS-PAAs. In vertical flame spread tests (VFST), cotton treated with 1% nGO burned as quickly as cotton, whereas B-CYSS, M-CYSS and BP-CYSS extinguished the flame at add-ons ≥ 12, 16 and 20%, respectively. Probably, the gaseous products of SS-PAA thermal degradation quenched the radicals involved in oxidation. Cotton treated with 8, 12 and 15%, respectively, of B-CYSS, M-CYSS and BP-CYSS burned completely, but further addition of 1% nGO either inhibited ignition or shortly extinguished the flame, demonstrating synergism between the two components. Synergism was confirmed by assessing the synergism effectiveness parameter for the residual mass fraction (RMF) and by comparing the calculated and experimental TG curves in air for the cotton/SS-PAA-nGO systems. In cone calorimetry tests, the presence of nGO did not improve the already good performances of SS-PAAs, supporting the hypothesis that the action of both takes place in the gas phase.

The effect of char on flame retardancy of cotton, flame retardant cotton and poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) fabrics investigated by cone calorimeter

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of char on the flame retardancy of fabrics by a cone calorimeter, which is an important factor to compare the flame retardancy of different fabrics.Design/methodology/approachCone calorimeter measurements were carried out in a Fire Testing Technology (UK) apparatus at the heat fluxes of 50 and 75 kW/m2. Fabrics with one and three layers were employed, with the name of cotton1, cotton3, FR cotton1, FR cotton3, PMIA1 and PMIA3. The dimension of the fabric was 100×100 mm2. A cross-steel grid was used to prevent the fabrics from curling during burning. The distance between the bottom of the cone heater and the top of the sample was 25 mm.FindingsThis work was generously supported by National Key R&D Program of China (Project No. 2017YFB0309000), Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (Project No. ZR2019BEM026), Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 51803101) and China postdoctoral science foundation funded project (Project No. 2018M632619).Originality/valueThe present research provides insight into the effect of the char formation on the flame retardancy of the fabrics, and a method to comprehensively investigate the char influence in the flame retardancy of the fabrics by a cone calorimeter is proposed.

A novel high whiteness flame retardant for cotton

A novel self-buffering flame retardant ammonium amino trimethylene phosphate (AATMP) was synthesized by a facile one-step water-solvent method to solve the problem of flammable cotton triggering easily and spreading fire. The structure of AATMP FR was verified by FT˗ IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and 31P NMR spectra. AATMP was grafted onto cotton fabrics using the dip-dry-cure method, and the grafted cotton was confirmed by FT-IR spectra. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of cotton treated with a mass concentration of 15% AATMP solution reached 43.9%. After 30 and 50 laundering cycles, LOI values were maintained at 34.8% and 29.7%, respectively, suggesting that AATMP can be used as a durable flame retardant. The vertical flammability of treated cotton indicated no afterflame or afterglow time for comparison. Cone calorimetry results revealed that the total heat release of treated cotton was 1.6 MJ/m2, lower than that of control cotton (2.8 MJ/m2). The peak heat release rate of control cotton was 195.1 kW/m2, much higher than that of treated cotton (16.1 kW/m2, further confirming the efficient fire resistance of AATMP. Thermogravimetry analysis and thermogravimetric-infrared spectroscopy indicated that AATMP FR altered the thermal decomposition pathway of treated cotton. X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy suggested that the structure of treated fibers was hardly affected. The tensile strength and whiteness of treated cotton fabrics were sustained well due to the self-buffering property of the neutral AATMP molecule.

Straightforward one-step solvent-free synthesis of the flame retardant for cotton with excellent efficiency and durability

A flame retardant, ammonium salt of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (AHEDPA), was synthesized by a facile one-step methodology and was proven to have achieved remarkable improved flame retardancy of cotton with exceptional durability because AHEDPA with functional groups PO−(NH4+)2 could react with OH of cellulose to form new POC bonds characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, which further verify that AHEDPA was chemically bound to cotton instead of as additive or mixing into polymer. Combustion behaviors of the control and treated cotton were assessed by cone calorimetry, vertical flammability and limiting oxygen index (LOI) tests. The cone calorimetry results display that the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) of cotton fabric treated by 30% AHEDPA were reduced up to 95% and 68%, respectively, compared with those of control cotton. No after-flame and after-glow phenomena for treated cotton were observed in vertical flammable test. LOI test evinces that the cotton fabric treated with 30–40 % AHEDPA could be used as a durable flame retardant fabric with a LOI value of 26.2–29.5% after 50 laundering cycles. Thermogravimetric (TG) data both in nitrogen and in air atmosphere reveal that the AHEDPA treated cotton notably increased the char yield by catalyzing dehydration of cellulose, thus protecting the underlying matrix from heat and fuel. The efficient and durable flame retardant for the AHEDPA by the one-step synthesis method has great development prospects in industrial.