Advanced research to help develop fire-retardant fabrics
Currently available fabrics generally suffer from shortcomings such as the use of non-conforming chemical products, costly man-made fibres and release of toxic fumes under combustion. Improved high-tech textiles are therefore important for use in a number of applications, such as protective clothing, aeroplane fittings, bedding, furniture and the automotive sector. The EU-funded FRONT (Flame retardant on textile) project worked on designing high-performance fabrics using nanoparticles to meet stricter legislation and consumer demands. It brought together several partners from industry to achieve its aims and identified reference flame-retardant fabrics for development. The project team also pinpointed standard fabrics for trials using nanoparticles to evaluate general treatment impact. In-depth research and development revealed challenges inherent in fire-proofing cotton fabrics, as well as opportunities involving polyester and mixed fabrics. They also helped identify ideal nanoparticles for flame retardance, evaluating structural, thermal and chemical properties, solubility in liquid, non-toxicity, flame retardance, cost and market availability. The adhesive properties of the nanoparticles were also closely studied. The results gave way to textiles that are more fire resistant than current textiles in terms of time to ignition, peak of heat release rate and total smoke release. In addition, the new textiles require low amounts of nanoparticles to achieve the desired level of fire retardance. While more research is required to achieve the desired results, the new textiles will ultimately use less chemicals, promote safety and be more environmentally friendly. The research accomplished under the project will no doubt help in the quest to manufacture improved fire-retardant fabrics, benefiting Europeans in a variety of settings and in a myriad of fields.
Keywords
Fire-retardant, nanoparticles, high-tech textiles, FRONT, flame retardant
