Preparation and properties of flame retardant and hydrophobic cotton fabrics based on poly-(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane, dihydroxy terminated)/ammonia phytate

Applications for cotton fabrics with multifunctional qualities, such as flame retardancy, hydrophobicity, and anti-ultraviolet properties, are increasingly common and growing daily. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the preparation of flame retardant, hydrophobic, and ultraviolet (UV) protection cotton fabrics through the utilization of Poly-dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane, dihydroxy terminated (HTDMS) and ammonia phytate (AP). The flame retardancy, thermal stability, mechanical properties, anti-UV properties, air permeability and the hydrophobicity properties of coated cotton fabrics were evaluated. The results indicated that the HTDMS/AP coating was successfully deposited on the surface of cotton fabrics. The damaged length of Cotton/HTDMS/AP was 4.7 cm, and the limiting oxygen index reached 31.5 %. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the char residues in the high-temperature range were increased. Furthermore, cone calorimetry results indicated that after the HTDMS/AP coating, the peak heat release rate, total heat release, and total smoke production values decreased by 88.7 %, 51.2 %, and 98.4 %, respectively. Moreover, the deposition of HTDMS/AP provided cotton fabrics with hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of over 130°, while Cotton/HTDMS/AP maintained their air permeability, and enhanced the breaking force compared with those of Cotton/AP. Such desirable qualities make HTDMS/AP a meaningful coating for producing multifunctional cotton fabrics.