Cotton is the most commonly used textile, as it offers great comfort and is breathable. However, it is extremely flammable.
Researchers from Texas A&M University have developed a groundbreaking technology that can dramatically reduce the flammability of cotton in a single step. This novel technique involves applying a polyelectrolyte complex coating, which can be customized for a variety of textiles, such as clothing and upholstery.
The method, scalable through a common pad-dry coating process, holds significant promise for widespread industrial applications and offers a potentially life-saving solution for fire protection.
Maya D. Montemayor, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M and the study’s lead author emphasized the importance of this advancement. “Many of the materials in our day-to-day lives are flammable, and offering a solution to protect from fire benignly is difficult,” Montemayor said. “This technology can be optimized to quickly, easily, and safely flame retard many flammable materials, offering vast protection in everyday life, saving money and lives of the general population.”
Developing a new kind of flame-retardant coating
Traditional flame-retardant coatings require multiple steps, making the process time-consuming and expensive. In contrast, the researchers’ new method streamlines the process using a volatile base, such as ammonia, which evaporates under ambient conditions.
This evaporation lowers the pH and induces complexation, forming a stable flame-retardant layer on the cotton’s surface. This technique has been proposed but never effectively applied in flame-retardant treatments.
The study introduces a more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable approach to applying polyelectrolyte-based flame-retardant coatings. The technology also stands out for its use of water-based, non-toxic solutions, setting it apart from many other flame-retardant treatments that often involve hazardous chemicals.
The Texas A&M team is now working closely with industry partners to expand the potential applications of this technology. They aim to protect a wide range of materials, including wood, fabric, foam, and other textiles, from the dangers of fire.
“This cutting-edge research offers Texas A&M recognition as one of the leaders of this technology and the opportunity for further development with external companies,” said Dr. Jaime Grunlan, Leland T. Jordan ’29 Chair Professor in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M. “The scope of this research positively impacts our community by improving our safety in an environmentally benign manner. TEES is licensing this and similar technologies to companies for various applications.”
The research team also included graduate students Danixa Rodriguez-Melendez, Dallin L. Smith, Natalie A. Vest, and Bethany Palen, and undergraduate students Edward Chang and Alexandra V. Moran.
The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the official research agency for Texas A&M Engineering, funded the research. As technology advances, it is poised to play a key role in improving fire safety in everyday environments and industrial settings.
Journal Reference:
- Maya D. Montemayor, Danixa Rodriguez-Melendez, Edward Chang, Dallin L. Smith et al. Evaporation Induced Flame Retardant Polyelectrolyte Complex for Cotton. ACS Applied Polymer Materials. DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.4c02937
