Flame Retardant Back Coatings for Textiles

What Is Flame Retardant Back Coating?

Back-coating a fabric means infusing it with carefully constructed polymers. Fires are chemical reactions that require heat, oxygen, and fuel. Importantly, the fuel needs to be able to release hydrocarbons easily when heat energy is applied. Wood and cotton are examples of materials that contain enough hydrocarbons to burn easily.

Add a little grease, grime, or oil – flame accelerants - and the result is an inferno. Coating a fabric with special polymers reduces the reactivity of these substances, meaning that the fire is less likely to ignite. If it does ignite, the lack of fuel means that it will smoulder rather than erupt. Flame retardants are, therefore, now a crucial component of everything from sofas to exhibition banners.

Do I Need To Be Concerned?

Yes. The UK has extensive fire safety legislation and the liability is placed squarely on the shoulders of manufacturers. Different fabrics have different fire safety standards. For instance, furniture upholstery must adhere to British Standard 5852:2006, and curtains are tested to British Standard 5867. Many household items must adhere to these safety standards, and items that do not – such as clothing – can benefit from an additional coating of health and safety.

What Type Of Flame Retardant Treatments Are Available?

There are several different options. One is to mix natural fibres with synthetic materials such as polyester. This used to be a popular choice but is becoming less favoured due to the damage that plastic-based materials can do to the environment. Their lack of biodegradability is increasingly on the sustainability radar.

As such, an increasingly preferred choice is back-coating. For synthetic fabrics, the best method is to back-coat with either acrylic resins or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), both of which resist heat by raising the ignition temperature above that of a smouldering fire. This type of back-coating retains the comfortable feel of the fabric, whilst offering a powerful barrier.

The third option is to use mixed chemical flame retardants as a back-coating. This is the preferred option for natural materials such as cotton. A mixture of bromine, nitrogen compounds, and phosphate compounds create a protective layer that delays the flame from reaching the flammable hydrocarbons. Treating fabrics in this way keeps their natural elasticity, texture, and strength, but drastically reduces the risk of a fire.

We are therefore developing a series of non-halogen flame retardants for textile back coating. These products were historically classified as Environmentally Hazardous Substances.There is no change in their flame retardant performance or processing characteristics.

Young Yao

Marketing development manager

Zhejiang Ruico Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. (Stock No.873233)

Add: No.188, Liangshan Road, Linghu Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China 313018

Phone: +86 (572) 2903236

Fax: +86 (572) 2905222

WhatsApp: +86 15088303595

Wechat: 18458299199

Website: www.ruicoglobal.com

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