The application of magnesium hydroxide for flame retardant finish of polyester fabric.

Many domestic items of clothing and military application use polyester as their main fiber content. It has low flame retardancy therefore it is required to add a flame retardant finish. In this study, the flame retardant finish was synthesized using magnesium hydroxide as the core and melamine cyanurate as the shell. Magnesium hydroxidewas chosen as the main material since it is claimed an environmental-friendly flame retardant substance. The verticalflame test was conducted and the samples were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed the flame retardant finish could hinder the flame to burn the polyester fabric until 30 % of the fabric length. It was also found that the microcapsules spread all over the surface, but the size and the placement were still uneven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]