Nano Research & Applications

Coatings based on TiO2 nanoparticles and biomacromolecules as a new flame-retardant approach for cotton fabrics

EuroSciCon Conference on Nanotech & Nanobiotechnology Nano
July 12-13, 2018 Paris , France

S Ortelli, G Malucelli and A L Costa

ISTEC-CNR, Italy Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Nano Res Appl

DOI: 10.21767/2471-9838-C2-012

Abstract

A novel durable intumescent flame-retardant coating, based on metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and biomacromolecules, was designed and applied on cotton fabrics. This way, it was possible to combine the thermal insulating effect of the inorganic coating with the intumescent properties of the selected biomacromolecules, able to absorb the heat and oxygen from the atmosphere and blocking their transfer to the surrounding textile. Two peculiarities were exploited, namely: i) the ability of proteins and aminoacids to irreversibly cover NPs, according to protein corona theory and ii) the affinity of metal oxide NPs towards the natural hydrophilic fibers, for improving the washing fastness of the fire-resistant finishing. To this aim, different TiO2 NPs/biomacromolecules systems were deposited by dip-pad-dry-cure process and the morphology of the resulting coating assessed by SEM analysis. The enhancement of the durability (i.e. the resistance to washing treatments) was verified by release tests carried out in static and dynamic conditions. Flammability and cone calorimetry tests were performed for evaluating the fire behaviour of the treated fabrics. More specifically, in horizontal flame spread tests, the different nanoparticles/biomoleculesbased coatings provided an increase of the total burning time and the decrease of the burning rate. Furthermore, the residues at the end of the test were significantly higher with respect to untreated cotton fabric. Therefore, thanks to their high charforming character, the combination of TiO2 nanoparticles and biomacromolecules within coating may represent a valid durable fire-resistant finishing alternative to standard flame-retardant treatments for cotton.