journal article·2026-07-24

Construction of Hybrid Coatings Enabling Flame Retardancy and Ultraviolet Protection in Cotton Textiles

Zhen Zhang, Weiran Pan, Yang Hu, Yanbei Hou, Xinlong Xiao, Hexin Zhang, Shenghua Wu, Cheng Tang, Xiuyu Liu, Gang Tang

ACS Applied Polymer Materials· Volume 8· Issue 14
Publisher page

Abstract

Cotton fabrics suffer from inherent flammability and limited resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These disadvantages severely restrict their safety and service lifetime in practical applications. In this work, a facile layer-by-layer self-assembly strategy was employed to construct a flame-retardant hybrid coating on cotton fabric surfaces. The coating is composed of polyethylenimine, phytic acid, and layered titanium carbide (MXene). It effectively combines the gas-phase and condensed-phase flame-retardant synergy of phosphorus and nitrogen with the physical barrier and thermal shielding effects of MXene nanosheets. As a result, the modified cotton fabrics exhibited markedly enhanced flame retardancy, achieving a limiting oxygen index of up to 37.6 vol %. Microscale combustion calorimetry tests demonstrated pronounced reductions in the peak heat release rate and total heat release, accompanied by a high char residue of 26.4 wt % at 800 °C, indicating significantly improved thermal stability and condensed-phase protection. In addition, the coating imparted excellent UV-shielding performance, with UV A and UV B transmittance reduced to 2.22% and 1.82%, respectively, and a high UV protection factor of 52.29. This study provides an effective surface-engineering strategy for the development of cotton textiles with simultaneous fire safety and UV protection. It offers both mechanistic insights and practical potential for advanced protective and functional textile applications.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Flame retardant materials and properties · Textile materials and evaluations · Dyeing and Modifying Textile Fibers

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Civil Engineering and Architecture

Anhui University of Technology

Suzhou Key Laboratory for Urban Public Safety, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research

University of Science and Technology of China

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Department of Scientific Research

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · University Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province

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