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Novel coating: Flame-retardant, smoke suppression and antibacterial properties

Scientists present an eco-friendly coating based on an intumescent flame-retardant system for viscose fabrics with multi-function properties.
Anti-bacterial coatings Fire retardant coatings Textile coatings
Flames against black background.
With the popularity of mass engineered timber growing in the construction industry Image source: Hans Braxmeier - Pixabay (symbol image).

For the study, ammonium phytate and chitosan were chosen as eco-friendly flame retardants to improve the flame retardancy and antibacterial properties of viscose fabrics. The flame-retardant viscose fabrics exhibited sharp improvements in thermal stability at the higher temperature zone. It obtained a limiting oxygen index value of 29% and self-extinguished in the vertical flame test.

Flame retardant and antimicrobial properties

The flame-retardant viscose fabrics released less flammable substances and more H2O, resulting in combustion choking. Meanwhile, the flame-retardant samples formed stable char residues, which were mainly constituted by graphite. Meanwhile, the coated viscose fabrics exhibited excellent antimicrobial properties and obtained a 99.99% antibacterial rate for both Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli).

The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 159, October 2021.