POLYMERS, cilt.15, sa.23, ss.4498-4510, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Wildfiresarebecomingmoreintenseandmorefrequent, ravagingthehabitationsand ecosystemsintheirpath.Onesolutiontoreducingtheriskofdamagetobuildingsandotherstructures duringafireeventistheuseoffire-retardantcoatingsthatcanstoporslowdownthespreadof flames,especiallyfortextilematerials.Thepresentstudyfocusesonthepreparationandapplication ofhalogen-freeboron/bentonite-basedpolymericfire-retardant(FR)hybridcoatingformulations forfabricssuchascotton(CO)andpolyester(PE)fibers.ForthepreparationofFRcomposites,two typesofboronderivatives,disodiumoctaborateandzincborate,wereusedincombinationwith sodiumbentonite.Astyrene-acryliccopolymerwasspecificallysynthesizedandusedasacoating binderforFRcomponentstoapplyonfabrics.ThepropertiesofthesynthesizedcopolymerandFR compositeswerecharacterizedwithaparticlesizeanalysis,FTIRspectroscopy,adynamicmechanical thermalanalysis(DMTA),andrheologicalmeasurements.Theobtainedhybridcompositesbased onstyrene-acryliccopolymersandtwodifferentinorganicfillerswereappliedoncotton(CO)and polyester(PE)fabricswithascreen-printingtechnique,andtheflameretardancyperformanceofthe finishedtextilesampleswasinvestigatedbymeansofflamespreadandlimitoxygenindex(LOI) tests.ThefindingsshowedthattheFR-composite-coatedfabricshadhigherLOIvaluesandmuch decreasedflamespreadratesincomparisonwithuncoatedones. Amongtheboronderivatives, thecompositespreparedwithdisodiumoctaborate(FR-A)hadmuchmorepronouncedLOIvalues anddecreasedflamespreadbehaviorincomparisonwiththecompositewithzincborate(FR-B). Whencomparedtoacommercialproduct, theFR-Acomposite, inconjunctionwiththespecially synthesizedpolymer,demonstratedcommendablefireretardancyperformanceandemergedasa promisingcandidateforahalogen-freewaterbornefire-retardantcoatingforfabrics.