ARS | Publication request: Enhanced flame retardant property of fiber reactive halogen-free organophosphonate

Submitted to: Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemical Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 26, 2012
Publication Date: July 26, 2012
Citation: Yoshioka-Tarver, M., Condon, B.D., Santiago Cintron, M., Chang, S., Easson, M.W., Fortier, C.A., Madison, C.A., Bland, J.M., Nguyen, T.D. 2012. Enhanced flame retardant property of fiber reactive halogen-free organophosphonate. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemical Research. 51(34):11031-11037.

Interpretive Summary: A water soluble, non-halogenated organophosphorus flame retardant was synthesized and characterized. As the U.S. regulations, the flame resistant properties of apparel or house hold items are necessary to prevent/minimize fire damage. Our research focused on developing a new non-halogenated flame retardant and optimizing the flame retardancy of treated cotton fabrics. The investigation found that cotton fabrics bonded to the flame retardant showed greater flame resistancy compared to the non-bonded flame retardant-cotton blends. This investigation can lead to a decrease in the amount of chemical treatment on cotton fabrics, but still demonstrate a good flame resistant property and durability.

Technical Abstract: In this paper, we studied the synthesis, characterization, and flammability of the water-soluble, non-halogenated organophosphorus flame retardant (FR), dimethyl-[1,3,5-(3,5-triacryloylhexahydro)triazinyl]-3-oxopropylphosphonate, for application to cotton farbics. The FR was synthesized in a one-step reaction from dimethyl phosphite and 1,3,5-triacryloylhexahydro-1,3,5-triazine under mild conditions and its structure was characterized by 1H, 13C, 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometer (MS), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The finishing condition to achieve a covalent bond between the FR and fabrics was optimized, and the FR capability of the treated cotton was investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), flame tests, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and micro cone calorimeter (MCC) tests. This study showed that fabrics treated with the FR are effectively flame resistant, and the FR property is enhanced by covalent bonding of the FR to fibers.