Flame retardant behavior and smoke suppression of gelatin/phytic acid/clay complexes on PET fabric

At present, increasing attention is devoted towards the development of innovative FR coating solutions for poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric characterized by improved sustainability, ease of processing and high efficiency. In this work, biobased components, namely gelatin, phytic acid and sodium montmorillonite, are employed to assemble an organic-inorganic hybrid coating capable of endowing the PET fabric with flame and smoke suppression abilities. A simple and easy to scale-up assembly method, derived from the layer-by-layer deposition technique, is employed. The coated fabrics exhibit rapid self-extinguishing behavior during flame spread tests. Cone calorimetry shows a conspicuous reduction in the peak of heat release rate (pkHRR −58 %) and total smoke release (TSR −63 %). A micro-intumescent behavior supported by a clay rich inorganic layer is found as the main FR mechanism. The novel use of sustainable biobased components presented in this manuscript provides a new effective strategy for the development of fire-safe materials.