Promising Methods for Imparting Flame-Retardant Properties to Textile Materials

A wide range of textile auxiliaries are used as flame retardants. They are required to minimize the risk of ignition in the event of contact with a small heat source, such as a cigarette, candle, or faulty electrical equipment. If the material ignites, the flame retardant slows combustion and prevents the fire from spreading to other objects. Flame-retardant finishing is one of the most important types of textile finishing and can significantly improve the safety of fabrics used for domestic, commercial, public, and industrial purposes. A wide range of chemical formulations are used for flame-retardant finishing. Traditional flame retardants are based on halogens, phosphorus, and nitrogen; however, they have several significant disadvantages: formaldehyde release, generation of hazardous wastewater, reduction in textile strength, changes in fabric shade, and release of toxic gases. Innovative technologies for imparting flame resistance to textile materials are based on plasma, nano-, and layer-by-layer technologies. Flame-retardant coatings based on natural resources are currently of particular interest. This article considers advanced methods for producing flame-retardant coatings: microencapsulation, sol–gel technology, UV curing, and spraying. The combustion mechanism and general classification of flame retardants, as well as the use of boron- and inorganic phosphorus-based flame-retardant formulations, are considered. Particular attention is paid to the use of nanoparticles and natural environmentally friendly resources of animal origin in the flame-retardant finishing of fabrics. The current trend toward the development of environmentally friendly production methods has led to the investigation of harmless, biodegradable substances that are wastes from other industries as flame retardants and have considerable potential for imparting flame-retardant properties to textile materials.