Preparation of durable flame retardant nylon-cotton blend fabrics by 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxy silane associated with polyethyleneimine and phytic acid

Nylon-cotton (NYCO) blend fabrics have been widely used recently; however, they are susceptible to ignition when exposed to flame. Herein, 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (GPTMS) associated with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and phytic acid (PA) was incorporated on NYCO fabrics through the facile sol–gel and dip-nip-dry method to prepare flame retardant NYCO fabrics with enhanced washing durability. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of treated NYCO fabrics was increased from 18.5 to 29.8% and the damaged length was reduced from 30 to 7.5 cm. Cone calorimeter test indicated that the peak heat release rate and total heat release were decreased by 73 and 79% respectively, compared with that of the control NYCO fabrics. The flame retardancy was well maintained and showed self-extinguishing behavior after 20 laundering cycles. The char formation ability was reinforced and the possible flame retardant mechanism was proposed. Moreover, the dermal irritation test showed good biological safety of the fabrics, which were incapable to cause erythema and edema on rabbit skin. This study proposed a feasible method to produce flame retardancy, durability, and bio-safety nylon-cotton blend fabrics by textile finishing.Graphic abstract