Enhancement of the Natural Flame-Resistance of Wool

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Abstract
Practical interest in effects of heat on wool focuses on increasing its resistance to heat and combustion and on decreasing possible hazards from decomposition products. In our laboratory we use two strategies to develop practical wool prod ucts with enhanced flame resistance. The first is direct chemical combination with flame-retardants. 'I'wo treatments of this first type use bis(β-chloroethyl)vinyl phosphonate in aqueous solution and chlorendic anhydride in dimethylfor mamide. An example of the second strategy, used with the nonreactive flame-retardant tris(2,3-dibromopropyl)- phosphate, is to mix this compound with a polyurethane prepolymer, which is then anchored to the wool surface by inter facial polymerization. The resulting fabric shows significantly increased flame-resistance as well as durable resistance to laundering shrinkage. These and other empirical finishing treatments reported to impart flame-resistance to wool are critically reviewed. Areas for future research are noted with emphasis on evaluating the safety of treated fabrics for potential users.

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