Insights into Phosphorus-Containing
Flame Retardants and Their Textile
Applications
Mohd Yusuf
Abstract In recent years, flame retardants (FRs) focused on eco-friendliness, ecoviable and durable, are in great social demand and one of the most growing area of
research interest on account of increased awareness towards environmental concerns.
In this regard, strategies are considered onto FRs for textiles as well as other substrates
with their applicability and selectivity. Phosphorus-based FRs provide a foundation
for the directed design of nontoxic FRs mainly because of its versatility, for example, it can act in both the condensed and gas phase, as an additive or as a reactive
component, in various oxidization states, and in synergy with numerous adjuvant elements. Various P-moieties make valuable contribution and combinations including
elemental, inorganic salts and organophosphorus compounds. This chapter highlights
general insight into phosphorus-based flame retardants for polymeric systems with
future R&D opportunities.
Keywords Flame retardants · Textile finishing · Phosphorus compounds · OPFRs
1 Introduction
Flame-retardation ability to the polymeric substrates such as textiles (woven or nonwoven), plastics, rubber and others, is vastly needed because they have been applied
to a myriad of applications for general and engineering purposes. Specific chemical
bonding was shown in several polymeric materials (i.e. cotton, linen, hemp; silk and
wool; nylon; polypropylene; polyester etc.) acquired specificity towards implanting
flame-retardancy. Textile materials have been applied worldwide in both civilian
as well as military fields due to their inherent and excellent properties such as airpermeability, softness, comfortableness, hydrophilicity etc. In a general opinion, fire
can be described as the combustion cycle which is illustrated by a fire triangle for
which three components are necessary to be fire to occur; one is heated, secondly
a combustible fuel and thirdly a combustive process. The most important factor in
the combustive process is the air (oxygen). According to the fact that fire or flame is
M. Yusuf (B)
Department of Chemistry, YMD College, MD University, Nuh, Haryana 122107, India
e-mail: yusuf1020@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
M. Shahid and R. Adivarekar (eds.), Advances in Functional Finishing of Textiles, Textile
Science and Clothing Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3669-4_10
231
Flame Retardants and Their Textile
Applications
Mohd Yusuf
Abstract In recent years, flame retardants (FRs) focused on eco-friendliness, ecoviable and durable, are in great social demand and one of the most growing area of
research interest on account of increased awareness towards environmental concerns.
In this regard, strategies are considered onto FRs for textiles as well as other substrates
with their applicability and selectivity. Phosphorus-based FRs provide a foundation
for the directed design of nontoxic FRs mainly because of its versatility, for example, it can act in both the condensed and gas phase, as an additive or as a reactive
component, in various oxidization states, and in synergy with numerous adjuvant elements. Various P-moieties make valuable contribution and combinations including
elemental, inorganic salts and organophosphorus compounds. This chapter highlights
general insight into phosphorus-based flame retardants for polymeric systems with
future R&D opportunities.
Keywords Flame retardants · Textile finishing · Phosphorus compounds · OPFRs
1 Introduction
Flame-retardation ability to the polymeric substrates such as textiles (woven or nonwoven), plastics, rubber and others, is vastly needed because they have been applied
to a myriad of applications for general and engineering purposes. Specific chemical
bonding was shown in several polymeric materials (i.e. cotton, linen, hemp; silk and
wool; nylon; polypropylene; polyester etc.) acquired specificity towards implanting
flame-retardancy. Textile materials have been applied worldwide in both civilian
as well as military fields due to their inherent and excellent properties such as airpermeability, softness, comfortableness, hydrophilicity etc. In a general opinion, fire
can be described as the combustion cycle which is illustrated by a fire triangle for
which three components are necessary to be fire to occur; one is heated, secondly
a combustible fuel and thirdly a combustive process. The most important factor in
the combustive process is the air (oxygen). According to the fact that fire or flame is
M. Yusuf (B)
Department of Chemistry, YMD College, MD University, Nuh, Haryana 122107, India
e-mail: yusuf1020@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
M. Shahid and R. Adivarekar (eds.), Advances in Functional Finishing of Textiles, Textile
Science and Clothing Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3669-4_10
231