A two ingredient aqueous polyelectrolyte complex was used to create a one-step flame retarding system for cotton fabric. This new, low cost, and easily processable nanocoating, created from a mixture of polyethylenimine and poly(sodium phosphate), maintains the textile's weave structure by spontaneously coating around individual fibers. Coating pick-up is reproducible and is a function of both soak time and solution pot life. While the flame from a Bunsen burner readily consumes untreated cotton fabric during vertical flame tests, leaving only glowing embers behind, nanocoatings created from a 10 minute soak interval (~23.6 % wt gain) self-extinguish, rendering cotton fabric anti-flammable through the intumescent phenomenon. From micro cone calorimetry data, cotton fabric soaked for 1 minute in the flame retarding solution reduces total heat release of fabric by 52.7%, with only 2.3 wt% coating added. This OnePot concept provides a powerful new framework for imparting environmentally-benign flame resistance to textiles in an efficient manner.

Aqueous OnePot polyelectrolyte complex extinguishes flame on fabric via intumescence

247th National Meeting (2014)

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