Author: Kanchan Rani and J. B. Dahiya

DOI: http://doi.org/10.31788/RJC.2026.1919443

Phosphorus-based crosslinked hydrogels of vinylphosphonic acid and bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]phosphate(BisMEP) were synthesised at varying concentrations of BisMEP as a crosslinker to develop eco-friendly, flameretardant cotton fabric with improved durability. The flame-retardant coating was applied using the admicellar polymerisation technique employing initiator (2,2’-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride) and cationicsurfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride) to stabilise the micellar environment. Characterisation through FTIRspectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mass spectrometry confirmed the successful formation of crosslinkedhydrogels. The existence of a polymer layer on the fabric’s surface was further validated by FTIR, scanning electronmicroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. The coated fabric exhibited enhanced thermal stability, improvedchar yield and the limiting oxygen index increased up to 36% with higher crosslinker concentration, clearlyindicating significantly improved flame retardancy performance.

Keywords: Admicellar Polymerisation, Flame Retardant, Crosslinked Hydrogel, Cotton Fabric.