Polyester fabric with tunable flame retardant and hydrophobic properties treated with nano carbon black and micro carbonyl iron through various application methods

In this study, simultaneous tunable flame retardant and water-repellent properties were imparted into polyester fabrics using nano carbon black (NCB) and micro carbonyl iron (CIP) particles through the pad-dry-cure method. Various treatments were applied including the individual use of CIP and NCB, step-by-step application of NCB followed by CIP, and use of NCB/CIP in one single-step method. The morphology and crystalline structure of the treated fabrics were characterized by FE-SEM and XRD. Also, a direct vertical flame test was used for evaluating the flame retardant properties of the fabrics. Further, both static and dynamic methods were considered to study the hydrophobic properties of the treated fabrics. The effect of sunlight irradiation on the water adsorption time of the treated fabrics was also investigated. Findings suggested the higher potential of step-by-step application of NCBs and CIPs, producing a reasonable reduction in the burning length and maximum static contact angle of 142°, along with more maximum force tolerable in the tensile strength test.