Preparation of multifunctional flame-retardant coating of cotton fabrics for electrical Insulating applications

Abstract

Cotton fabric (CF) was coated with a new multifunctional flame-retardant system consisting of melamine phosphate (MP) and nickel (II) dimethylglyoxime (NDMG). The new coating was applied to enhance the flame retardancy, antibacterial activity, thermal stability, color strength, UV protection, and electrical properties of CF. The weight percentages of NDMG and MP that led to the maximum improvement in CF properties were identified. According to vertical and horizontal flammability tests, coating the fabric with 29%MP/1%NDMG prevented flame propagation in the samples. Moreover, it increased the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of CF from 17.9% to 36.9%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data presented that the MP/NDMG coating enhanced the char residue at 750°C. Antimicrobial investigations indicated that the coating 29%MP/1%NDMG reduced the growth of S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. UV shielding and color strength (K/S) results revealed that coated fabrics had excellent UV protection (UPF > 175) and enhanced K/S values. The tensile strength of CF was slightly decreased after the coating process. The dielectric constant (ε`), the dielectric loss (ε``), and AC electrical resistivity ([Formula: see text]) with frequency (10-106 Hz) were also investigated. The electrical resistivity increased significantly after adding MP and NDMG to the CFs. The coated sample (23%MP/7%NDMG) showed the best dielectric properties, with a low dielectric constant of 2.6 and [Formula: see text] of 1.40E+10 Ω.cm at 1000 Hz.