Coating on PET fabric by the polyacrylate containing aluminum diethylphosphinate and phytate salt synergistic flame retardant

Coating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics by flame-retardant polyacrylate (PAc) is considered as a convenient and efficient method for improving the flame retardancy of PET fabrics. In this study, melamine (MEL) was reacted with phytic acid (PA), leading to the successful synthesis of a PA-based flame retardant, MP. Subsequently, aluminum diethylphosphinate (ADP) and MP were compounded at a mass ratio of 18:2 and incorporated into the PAc coating to prepare a flame-retardant PAc coating. When this flame-retardant PAc coating was coated to the surface of PET fabric, PET-ADP-MP 18:2 was obtained. The PET-ADP-MP 18:2 fabric exhibited excellent flame-retardant performance, achieved fire rating B 1 in the Vertical flammability test (VFT), with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 26.3%. Compared to the untreated PET fabric, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) was reduced by 70.81%. Moreover, the mechanical properties of PET-ADP-MP 18:2 were also improved. The tensile strength in the warp direction increased by 41.7%, while that in the weft direction increased by 57.7%. The flame retardant obtained by the combination of ADP and MP is therefore considered to hold significant potential for application in the field of flame-retardant PET fabrics (FR-PETs).