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Nanobiotechnology 2018
Page 67
Nano Research & Applications
ISSN: 2471-9838
E u r o S c i C o n C o n f e r e n c e o n
Nanotech & Nanobiotechnology
J u l y 1 2 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 8
P a r i s , F r a n c e
A
novel durable intumescent flame-retardant coating, based on metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and biomacromolecules,
was designed and applied on cotton fabrics. This way, it was possible to combine the thermal insulating effect of the
inorganic coating with the intumescent properties of the selected biomacromolecules, able to absorb the heat and oxygen from
the atmosphere and blocking their transfer to the surrounding textile. Two peculiarities were exploited, namely: i) the ability of
proteins and aminoacids to irreversibly cover NPs, according to protein corona theory and ii) the affnity of metal oxide NPs
towards the natural hydrophilic fbers, for improving the washing fastness of the fre-resistant fnishing. To this aim, different
TiO
2
NPs/biomacromolecules systems were deposited by dip-pad-dry-cure process and the morphology of the resulting coating
assessed by SEM analysis. The enhancement of the durability (i.e. the resistance to washing treatments) was verifed by release
tests carried out in static and dynamic conditions. Flammability and cone calorimetry tests were performed for evaluating the
fre behaviour of the treated fabrics. More specifcally, in horizontal flame spread tests, the different nanoparticles/biomolecules-
based coatings provided an increase of the total burning time and the decrease of the burning rate. Furthermore, the residues
at the end of the test were signifcantly higher with respect to untreated cotton fabric. Therefore, thanks to their high char-
forming character, the combination of TiO
2
nanoparticles and biomacromolecules within coating may represent a valid durable
fre-resistant fnishing alternative to standard flame-retardant treatments for cotton.
simona.ortelli@istec.cnr.itCoatings based on TiO
2
nanoparticles and
biomacromolecules as a new flame-retardant
approach for cotton fabrics
S Ortelli
1
, G Malucelli
2
and A L Costa
1
ISTEC-CNR, Italy
2
Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Nano Res Appl 2018, Volume 4
DOI: 10.21767/2471-9838-C2-012