Flame retardant cotton fabrics with anti-UV properties based on tea polyphenol-melamine-phenylphosphonic acid

A novel, high-efficiency, phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant based on tea polyphenol-melamine-phenylphosphonic acid (named TP-MA-PPOA) for cotton fabrics was prepared successfully. TP-MA-PPOA coating gives the cotton fabrics flame retardancy and anti-UV properties. The results reveal that the TP-MA-PPOA coating enables cotton fabrics to self-extinguish, the damage length is only 7.4 cm in vertical flame test, and the limiting oxygen index increases to 28.7%. Meanwhile, Cotton/TP-MA-PPOA also performs well in cone calorimetry test, as evidenced by 88.5% reduction of peak heat release rate, and 92.9% decrease of the fire growth rate compared with that of cotton fabrics. And the risk of fire is sharply reduced. In addition, the ultraviolet protection factor value of Cotton/TP-MA-PPOA is 35.2. Encouragingly, the TP-MA-PPOA coating shows little deterioration in the handle of the cotton fabrics.