Flame-Retardant and Washable Finishing of Lyocell/Cotton Blended Fabrics Using Eco-Friendly Creatinine O-Phosphate

Creatinine O-phosphate (COP) containing phosphorus and nitrogen elements was used as eco-friendly flame-retardant for lyocell/cotton blended fabric (L/C fabric). The flame retardant fabrics are prepared by a simple and effective dip-dry-cure method. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses certified that COP has been successfully grafted onto the surface of the L/C fabric and distributed evenly. Compared with the control fabric, the thermogravimetric analysis (TG) results showed that the char residue rate of the flame-retardant fabric at 800°C increased by 229% (air atmosphere), indicating that it has excellent char-forming ability. Besides, cone calorimetry results showed that the PHRR and THR values of the treated L/C fabric were reduced by 88.83% and 76.65%, respectively. The volatile pyrolysis products of the treated L/C fabric were determined by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared analysis (TG-IR). In general, these results indicated that the L/C fabric treated with COP had high flame retardancy, excellent washing resistance and thermal stability.