Intumescent nanocoating extinguishes flame on fabric using aqueous polyelectrolyte complex deposited in single step

In an effort to produce a more effective and environmentally friendly flame-retardant (FR) treatment for cotton fabric, a two-ingredient aqueous polyelectrolyte complex was used to create a one-step deposition system. This easy-to-apply nanocoating, made with nitrogen-rich and phosphorous-rich polyelectrolytes, maintains the fabric’s weave structure by spontaneously coating individual fibers. Coating pick-up is reproducible and is a function of both soak time and pot life of the polyelectrolyte complex. From microscale calorimetry data, cotton fabric soaked for only 1min in this “OnePot” flame-retarding complex exhibits a 52.7% reduction in total heat release, with only 2.3 wt% coating added.