Facile Preparation of Flame Retardant Cotton Fabric via Adhesion of Mg(OH)2 by the Assistance of Ionic Liquid

A new approach for flame retardant functional finishing of textiles was explored to improve flame retardancy of cotton fabrics by simple physical adhesion method. Mg(OH)2 was adhered to cotton fiber with the aid of fiber swelling in ionic liquid on heating and shrinkage on washing to obtain flame retardancy. The effects of immobilizing condition and methods on flame retardancy were discussed. The surface morphology, crystal structure, combustion behavior, thermal and physical properties of cotton fabric adhered with Mg(OH)2 were analyzed. The afterflame time and afterglow time of adhered cotton fabric were significantly reduced to less than 5 s. The thermal weight loss of cotton fabric was increased by 11.7% and the total heat released per unit mass was decreased by 20.9% after MH adhesion. The simple eco-friendly adhesion method provided a convenient approach for the development and application of flame retardant functional cellulosic textiles.