In Situ Synthesis of SiO2 Nanoparticles by Sol-Gel Method on Cotton Fabrics and Investigation of their Physical and Chemical Properties

In this paper, the sol-gel method was used for in-situ synthesis of SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) on cotton fabrics with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of acid and alkaline indicators. The samples were characterized using by (X-ray diffraction) XRD, (scanning electron Microscopy) SEM, (Inductively coupled plasma) ICP, water drop test and also the flame retardant properties were studied by char yield. The SEM images showed that the nanoparticles are spherical in shape and the acidity or alkalinity of the medium has an effect on the formation of particles. The XRD patterns showed the typical diffraction of amorphous SiO₂ (Si-O short-order structure), also ICP analysis showed that by washing the fabrics, the nanoparticles are still present on the fabric, and this indicated the stability of the washing of the fabrics impregnated with the nanoparticles. By in-situ synthesis of SiO₂ nanoparticles, the flame retardant properties have been improved significantly and the amount of residual char was increased and samples were observed to be hydrophilic.