Flame-retardant Cotton Fabrics Based on Sol-gel Technique

Abstract

Sol-gel containing silica and phosphorous was examined as a flame-retardant oncotton fabric. To prepare the sol-gels, diethylphosphatoethyltriethoxysilane (DPETS),tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) were mixed atthe different ratios and stirred for 24 hr. at room temperature in water-ethanol solvent. Theresultant sol-gels were coated on cotton using pad-dry-cure method. TGA(Thermalgravimetric Analysis) and flammability test were used to investigate thermaldecomposition behavior and char formation of the treated fabrics. Percent of char yield wasincreased with increasing amounts of DPETS in the sol-gel precursors.