Flame-Retardancy Finishing of Cotton Fabric by Surface-Initiated Photochemically Induced Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Abstract

Abstract Phosphorus-containing polymers are very promising because of the versatility of their applications. Polyphosphates and polyphosphonates are well-known for their excellent fire-retardant properties. In this work, a cotton fabric was grafted by oxygen-tolerant photochemically induced atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) of dimethyl(methacryloyloxymethyl) phosphonate (MAPC1) in order to prepare flame resistant fabric. The photoATRP of MAPC1 was first optimized in solution and subsequently used for surface-initiated polymerization from of cotton fabric pre-functionalized by ATRP initiator in order to achieve PMAPC1 brushes onto the surface. The modified cotton fabrics were characterized by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to prove successful grafting. Minimal effect of grafting on mechanical properties of the cotton fabric was confirmed by tensile tests. The thermal properties and flammability of the modified fabric were tested by thermogravimetric analysis, horizontal and vertical flame tests. Limiting oxygen index and microscale cone calorimeter were performed as well. The results show that modified fabric has a high flame resistance making it a good candidate for flame-retardant application. Washing tests confirmed that the grafted layer on the fabric has good durability from the point of view of retention of high flame resistance.