Preparation and properties of cotton fabrics treated with a novel guanidyl- and phosphorus-containing polysiloxane antimicrobial and flame retardant

Guanidyl- and phosphorus-containing polysiloxane (GPPDMS) was synthesized as a novel antimicrobial and flame retardant agent for cotton fabrics and it was characterized by FT-IR and H-1 NMR. The flame retardancy of the cotton fabrics treated with GPPDMS was characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and the vertical burning test. The cotton fabric treated with 18.6% (add-on) of GPPDMS obtained the best flame retardancy with a LOI value of 31.9, which was 13.9 units higher than that of the untreated one. The thermal decomposition behavior of cotton fabrics was investigated by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and the results showed that GPPDMS played a protective role on the degradation of cotton fabrics, hindered the formation of volatile species and favored the formation of char. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of the treated cotton fabrics was tested and it showed that the antibacterial efficiency of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was 97% and 96% respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.