Effect of Zinc Borate on Flammability of PET Woven Fabrics
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Hindawi Advances in Polymer Technology Volume 2019, Article ID 7150736, 13 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/7150736 Research Article Effect of Zinc Borate on Flammability of PET Woven Fabrics Mustafa E. Üreyen 1,2 and Elif Kaynak 3 1 Department of Fashion and Textile Design, Eskis¸ehir Technical University, Eskis¸ehir 26470, Turkey 2Civil Aviation Research Centre, Anadolu University, Eskis¸ehir 26555, Turkey 3Chemical Engineering Department, Eskis¸ehir Technical University, Eskis¸ehir 26555, Turkey Correspondence should be addressed to Mustafa E. Ureyen;¨ [email protected] Received 28 October 2018; Revised 6 February 2019; Accepted 11 February 2019; Published 7 March 2019 Academic Editor: Camino Giovanni Copyright © 2019 Mustafa E. Ureyen¨ and Elif Kaynak. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Zinc borate (ZnB) has been used as a fame retardant, a smoke suppressant, and an antitracking agent in several applications. It may show synergistic efects with antimony oxide and metal hydroxides in fre retardant systems. In this work, the efect of ZnB on the fame retardancy of PET (poly(ethylene terephthalate)) woven fabrics was investigated. In order to provide the homogenous application of ZnB to the fabrics, the particle size of ZnB powders was reduced from 9 �m to submicron scale by wet-milling with zirconia balls followed by high shear fuid processing. ZnB dispersion was mixed with low-formaldehyde melamine resin based cross-linking agent and it was applied to PET fabrics by pad dry cure method. ZnB dispersion was then added in diferent ratios to alkyl phosphonate and organophosphorus compound based commercial fame retardant fnishing agents and applied to the fabrics. Te efect of zinc borate with phosphorus based fame retardant (FR) fnishing agents was examined by cone calorimetry under a 2 ∘ heat fux of 35 kW/m , vertical fame test, and limit oxygen index. Termogravimetric analysis was performed up to 800 C under N2 fow. Test results show that zinc borate can be combined with the organophosphorus based commercial FR fnishing agents. Zinc borate could not improve the fammability properties of PET fabrics signifcantly but decreased mean CO, total smoke release, and total smoke production values. 1. Introduction produced by copolymerization of bifunctional organophos- phorus compound based on a phosphinic acid derivative is PET (poly(ethylene terephthalate)) fber is the most-used a well-known inherently fame retardant polyester fber [3]. synthetic fber worldwide thanks to a vast number of tech- Commercial fame retardants for thermoplastic polyesters nical applications. It has been widely used in household including PET and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) were textiles as curtains, upholstery, and mattresses. Moreover, it reviewed by Weil and Levchik [4]. It was emphasized that has frequently been used in transportation textiles. Although phosphorus containing FRs provide adequate performance PET has good thermal stability, chemical resistance, and for PET and PBT. In the recent years, the sol-gel treatment excellent mechanical properties, relatively high fammability of polyester and its blends has been considered as the sol-gel and the poor antidripping properties of PET restrict its appli- derived hybrid architectures are able to protect the polymer cation where specifc fre resistance performance is required. substrate by forming a barrier against heat and mass transfer Fire statistics show that an important portion of losses and [5, 6]. Te treatment of PET fabrics with a silane precursor fatalities in domestic fres are caused by synthetic fbers such (3-glyci-dyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) in the presence of as polyester [1, 2]. Polyester fbers may be fame retarded using boehmite enhanced the fame resistance of polyester [7]. either one of the following approaches: using fame retardant When PET fabrics were coated with phosphorylated sol- comonomers during copolymerization, doping FR additives gel, the LOI of PET fabric was increased from 18% to 27%; during extrusion, or applying fame retardants on fabrics by however the suggested treatment requires that the fabrics are fnishing or coating techniques [2]. For instance, Trevira CS5 exposed to UV/Ozone irradiation before treatment [8, 9]. 2 Advances in Polymer Technology Tere is a high demand by the industry for inexpensive, found that ZnB increased the char content but decreased the non-halogenatedfameretardantswhichcaneasilybeapplied LOI value. to textiles using conventional equipment. In addition to this, Te ignitability of textile materials is ofen measured by fame retardants should not deteriorate the physical, aes- limiting oxygen index (LOI), horizontal and vertical famma- thetic, and physiological properties of textiles. Tey should bility tests. Despite the cone calorimeter being a good indi- also present environmental-friendly and nontoxic features. cator of the combustion behavior of materials, it has rarely Although their efciency is lower than halogen based fame been used to test the fre performance of textiles. Tus, very retardants, expensive phosphorus based fame retardants for few studies related to the cone calorimeter analyses of textiles polyester are preferred, because of low smoke generation, have been found in literature. Alonghi et al. [12] applied nontoxicity, and low corrosion properties [10–12]. On the several nanoparticles and their combinations to polyester, other hand, melt dripping of polyester during burning is still cotton, and polyester/cotton blends and tested their famma- 2 a major problem. Terefore, fame retardants for polyester bility by cone calorimeter under a heat fux of 35 kW/m . based textiles which promote char formation and reduce Teyhaveinvestigatedthatmostofthenanoparticlesincrease melt-dripping behavior are required [13, 14]. Te melt drip- the fre performance index (FPI) value of polyester fabric 2 ping behavior of some commercial fame retardants on PBT with low area density (171 g/m ); however they had very little 2 hasbeeninvestigatedanditwasfoundthatthemeltfowand efect on polyester fabric with high area density (490 g/m ). dripping behaviors of polymer were highly dependent on the Kotresh et al. [26] evaluated the fammability of commercial typeandmodeofactionoffameretardant[15]. inherently fame retardant polyester curtain fabric samples 2 Less than 2 wt% of additives such as metal oxides can by cone calorimetry at 50 kW/m . As the area density of change the interaction of phosphorus containing fame retar- fabric increased, important fammability parameters such as dants with their chemical surroundings during pyrolysis [16]. the peak heat release rate, total heat released, and CO yield Combining some additives with phosphorus based fame increased due to the increasing amount of fuel; however retardant may enhance the efect of fame retardant agent. efective heat of combustion did not change signifcantly. Various metal compounds, borates, and inorganic fllers can Inthiswork,meanparticlesizeofzincborate be used as synergists to phosphorus based fame retardants (2ZnO.3B2O3.3.5H2O) powders was reduced by attrition [16]. Endothermic thermal decomposition of metal hydrox- milling followed by high shear fuid processing in order ide, carbonate, and boron additives produces noncombustible to increase its surface area. Powders were then applied to gasses, such as H2OandCO2 diluting the oxygen supply polyester (PET) woven fabrics by pad dry cure method. In and fuel concentration [17]. Zinc borate has been widely addition to this, zinc borate dispersion was added in diferent used as a fame retardant, a smoke suppressant, an aferglow ratios to commercial fnishing agents and applied to the suppressant, and an antitracking agent. It has been used with fabric samples. Te efect of zinc borate with phosphorus other fame retardants in several polymers such as ethylene based fame retardant fnishing agents was examined by cone vinylacetate(EVA)[18],polyamide(PA)[19,20],polyethy- calorimetry, LOI, vertical fame test, and thermogravimetric lene terephthalate (PET) [20], and other polyolefns. It has analysis. been previously shown that ultrafne zinc borate particles can reduce the toxicity either by reducing the amount of combus- tion gases produced due to the improved quality of char or 2. Materials and Methods by absorbing CO and the smoke particles thanks to its small Zinc borate with the chemical formula 2ZnO⋅3B2O3⋅3.5H2O particle size, high surface area, and high specifc area [21]. was provided by Great Lake Chemical Corporation/USA Zinc borate with a chemical formula of 2ZnO⋅3B2O3⋅3.5H2O ∘ under commercial name of ZB-467.Alkyl phosphonate based is stable up to >290 Candthisfeatureallowsforitsprocessing with a number of polymers. Te number of studies related nonionic fame retardant fnishing agent which is acidic in to the use of zinc borate as a fame retardant for textiles is nature (pH=2-5) was provided by Rudolf GmbH/Germany limited. Agrawal et al. [22] used zinc borate successfully as under the commercial name of Rucofam PSY-E (PSY). a fame retardant for polyester; moreover they investigated Organic cyclic phosphonate compound based fnishing agent that fame retardant features presented by zinc borate could (17% P) which is strongly acidic in nature (pH=1.5-1.8) was furtherbeenhancedwhenitisusedincombinationwith provided by Clariant/Switzerland under commercial name