Synthesis and Application of a Formaldehyde-free Flame-retardant for Cotton Fabrics by Polymerization between Diammonium Hydrogen Phosphate and Citric Acid

Abstract

Elimination of halogen and formaldehyde from flame-retardants is the focus of the recent research due to their adverse effects on the human health and the environment. This research investigates the numerous halogen-free and formaldehyde-free flame retardant recipes for cotton fabrics through polymerization between diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAHP) and citric acid considering the effects of catalyst, initiator, temperature, normal atmosphere, inert atmosphere, and nitrogen atmosphere. Then, this research applies these nontoxic recipes on the cotton fabric samples and determines the char-length and char-width. The further analysis included the limiting oxygen index (LOI), crease recovery angle (CRA), air permeability retention, shrinkage, smoldering cigarette test, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), phosphorous concentration, and formaldehyde content in fabric. The newly proposed recipes exhibited similar or superior performance compared with formaldehyde-based commercial flame retardant, Pyrovatex.

Keywords

• fire retardant
• sustainability
• char length
• easy care
• nitrogen atmosphere
• pyrovatex