Preparation and performance testing of superhydrophobic flame retardant cotton fabric.

In order to reduce the possibility of cotton fabrics causing fire and improve the waterproofness of the fabric, a superhydrophobic flame retardant (SFR) coating was fabricated on cotton fabric using a simple two-step process. Firstly, the fabric was pretreated with diammonium phosphate solution, and then H-ZrO₂ (ZrO₂ which is modified by hexadecyltrimethoxysilane) was adhered to the surface of the fabric using polydimethylsiloxane. The morphology, chemical composition and element distribution of the coating were detected and characterized using SEM, ATR-FTIR, XPS and EDS. In addition, the flame-retardant properties of the coated fabric samples were tested using thermal stability and vertical burning tests. Superhydrophobic fabric was tested and evaluated by subjecting the coated fabric to abrasion, washing, acid–base soaking and ultraviolet irradiation tests, and the contact angles of the sample before and after the test were investigated. The results showed that the coated fabric has a strong hydrophobic ability. When the H-ZrO₂ content in the solution is 0.8 g, the coated fabric has a maximum contact angle of 154°. Moreover, the coating has good wear resistance, acid and alkali resistance and UV resistance. Importantly, the modified fabric shows excellent flame-retardant performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]