Enhancing the flame retardancy of lyocell fabric finished with an efficient, halogen-free flame retardant

A novel flame retardant (PNPG) containing phosphorus and nitrogen was synthesized through the reaction of neopentyl glycol, phosphoric acid and urea, and was then used for preparation of flame retardant lyocell fabric through a dip-dry-cure finishing process. The structure of the PNPG was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The flame retardancy and thermal stability of the treated fabric were evaluated by a cone calorimetry test and thermogravimetric analysis (TG), which showed that the char residue of the treated fabric at 800 °C was as high as 39.7% under a nitrogen atmosphere. At the same time, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) were significantly reduced by 92.9% and 81.2%, respectively. Obviously, the presence of flame retardant can effectively improve the thermal stability and flame retardancy of lyocell fabrics. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the flame retardant mechanism was consistent with the condensed phase and gas phase mechanism. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the treated samples could reach 39.3%, moreover, even after 20 laundering cycles (LCs), the LOI values of the samples finished at 28.3% with 120 g L−1 flame retardant remaining, which confirmed the durability and high flame retardancy of the treated samples. In addition, the mechanical properties, whiteness, rigidity and flexibility of the fabrics treated with PNPG were insignificantly reduced within a more acceptable range than the original samples. In summary, the flame retardant described herein has excellent flame retardant properties and char-forming ability, and it is suitable for the preparation of flame retardant lyocell fibers.