New high-performance, lighter and durable fire retardant fabrics for protective applications

高性能服装是纺织行业增长最快的部门之一。随着发展中经济体开始规范其国内工业部门的防护设备，对防火织物的需求已经增加，并将继续增长。天然阻燃（FR）合成材料如常规芳族聚酰胺或改性聚丙烯腈纤维的组合是方便的，因为它们提供高水平的保护，即使在织物重量轻的情况下;为穿着者提供灵活性和透气性。然而，由于成本非常高，因此最好使用不同的百分比，纱线结构和织物结构，以最大限度地减少此类纤维的数量，同时最大限度地提高其效果。最近，由于在挤出之前在聚合物母料中添加FR添加剂，新的合成纤维（例如聚酯）已经显示出固有的FR性能。尽管增强了其阻燃性能的耐久性，但添加剂的毒性和挥发性仍然是未来商业化的问题，，因为它们的生物降解能力有限，而且容易在环境中积聚。建议的项目旨在开发一系列新的阻燃织物，持久的阻燃性能，同时保持预期的舒适度。该项目将探索两种不同的观点：（1）纯纺织品研究对织物结构的影响，从原纤维的选择到纱线结构;（2）生态耐用添加剂的化学研究，与织物和传统纺织工艺兼容。

Performance apparel is one of the fastest growing sectors of the textile industry. The demand for fire-resistant fabrics has increased and will continue to grow as developing economies start regulating protection equipment in their domestic industrial sector. Combination of naturally intrinsically fire-retardant (FR) synthetic materials such as conventional aramids or modacrylic fibers are convenient as they provide a high level of protection, even at a light weight of fabric; allowing flexibility and breathability for the wearer. However, since the cost is very high, it is best to play with different percentage, structure of the yarns and fabric construction to minimise the amount of such fibers while maximising its effect. More recently, new synthetic fibers, such as polyester for instance, have shown inherent FR properties due to the addition of FR additives in the polymer masterbatch, before extrusion. Despite enhancing the durability of the its FR properties, the toxicity and volatility of the additives remain an issue for future commercialisation, since they exhibit limited biodegradability and tend to accumulate in the environment.The proposed project aims to address both the issue of cost and environmental impact without compromising on the performances by developing a new range of FR fabrics which exhibit long-lasting FR performances while maintaining the level of comfort which is expected. This project will explore two different points of view: (1) purely textile-based research on the impact of the fabric structure, from the choice of raw fibers, to the yarn structure and (2) chemical research on ecological durable additives, compatible with fabrics and conventional textile processes.