Polyphosphonitrile modified fabric: Preparation and the improvement of flame retardancy, hydrophobic and abrasion resistance

Polyester fabrics suffer from inherent flammability and tend to produce significant molten droplets during combustion, which severely restricts their practical applications. In this study, polyphosphazene microspheres (PZS) were synthesized through a nucleophilic substitution reaction and subsequently combined with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a multifunctional coating on polyester fabrics (PF). And the wear resistance, hydrophobicity, and flame retardant properties were systematically investigated. The results revealed that PZS exhibited a uniform particle size of 572 nm with good thermal stability, enabling homogeneous distribution on fabric surfaces. The fabric composite maintained a water contact angle exceeding 140° both before and after wear resistance testing, demonstrating excellent wear resistance and sustained superhydrophilicity. PZS@PDMS can promote the early degradation of PF to generate a more stable and dense carbon layer, with the residual carbon content increasing from 13.22 % of pure PF to 24.48 %. Cone calorimetry results showed that PF/8PZS@PDMS had excellent flame retardancy, with peak heat release rate and total heat release decreased by 77 % and 57 % to pure PF. These enhancements were attributed to the synergistic effects of catalytic carbonization, gas-phase dilution effect, and free radical quenching effect. This article provided a new method for developing polyester fabrics with integrated flame-retardant and hydrophobic functionalities.