Enhanced mechanical performance of cellulose nanocrystal doped eco-friendly calcium-alginate based bio-composite fiber with superior flame retardancy

Abstract

Petroleum-based polymer fire-resistant fabric is not considered as eco-friendly, and has other problems like heavy weight and irritating tickling. On the other hand, even though Ca–alginate fiber is a natural fire-resistant polysaccharide derivative, its low tensile strength prevents the fiber from being a potential fire-resistant material. To enhance its mechanical performance, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) functioned as reinforced nanofiller, assisted by a small amount of propanol to improve CNC dispersion in solution. CNC-doped alginate fiber (pC–Alg) was fabricated by the microfluidic spinning technique, and the effects of CNC content and the drawing ratio on the fibrous mechanical performance were investigated. Comparative studies indicated that a combination of 0.50 wt.% CNC, 6.00 v.% propanol, and 1.6 draft ratio helped pC–Alg fiber to achieve outstanding breaking strength of around 2.00 cN/dtex. It was shown that the use of propanol solvent and the incorporation of CNC can effectively eliminate CNC aggregation and reach a three-fold better tensile performance than the control. Limiting oxygen index test also showed that the resultant hybrid pC–Alg fiber still displayed good flame retardancy, making it an ideal candidate for fire-protection clothing.

Fabrication, Property and Application of Calcium Alginate Fiber: A Review

“…The fiber forms calcium salt and releases the noncombustible carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas and gaseous water vapor in burning, which cover the fiber surface and then impede the penetration of oxygen (O 2 ) and the heat, which will effectively retard the further combustion. Furthermore, the heat release rate, the total heat release, the smoke production rate and the total smoke production of the calcium alginate fiber are far less than other materials in the whole burning [ 72 ], making it an ideal candidate for the fireproof textile and furniture construction material.…”

Preparation and performance study of waterproof and breathable layer of alginate/aramid-based fabrics and flame-retardant multilayer combination

“…The thermal decomposition process of alginate fibers is extremely slow, with no molten droplets or smoke during vertical combustion testing. In the combustion process, alginate fiber thermal decomposition will generate a large amount of carbon dioxide, and water, and take away a lot of heat [ 5 ]. At the same time, the metal ions will generate carbonate compounds and other residues, covering the fiber surface, isolating the oxygen, and hindering the combustion process.…”

Upcycling of polyester wastes blended bio-based alginate fiber to fire-safety composite applied in the construct field

“…Especially, the degradable calcium alginate (Alg) bio-based ber has become a hotspot due to the excellent intrinsic ame retardant performance, sustainability and environmental friendliness 22 . But the mechanical performance of Alg ber is too poor to process and use by itself 23 . Therefore, we propose to recycle PET waste ber to produce the reproof composite felt marked as Alg-PET by a facile physical mixture of Alg ber via an opening-cardingneedling technology, and the composite is intended to be a re prevention construct and building material.…”