Flame Retarding and Thermal Degradation Study of Intumescent Coated Cotton

The effect of intumescent on the thermal degradation and flammability of cotton fabric has been studied in this investigation. The intumescent formulation containing ammonium polyphosphate, melamine, pentaerythritol and metal salts was used for coating the cotton fabric to make it flame retarded. The Thermal analysis (TG and DSC) in nitrogen atmosphere was carried out to study the thermal behaviour of coated cotton. Char yield of cotton fabric at 600 ℃ in nitrogen atmosphere was found increased from 12.8% to 25.4% on coating. The limiting oxygen index value for cotton fabric was found increased from 18.0% to 28.0% on coating with intumescent formulation (40 % w/w of cotton). The increase in char yield and LOI value justified the flame retarding behavior of coated cotton fabric.