A team of Iranian researchers working to assign non-flammability properties to cotton fibre has developed a light-weight non-flammable nanocomposite coating for cotton fibres with carbon nanotubes and an anti-flammable monomer under UV radiation, FARS News Agency reported.

Talking about the research, Arash Almasian, a member of the Institute of Colorants, Paints and Coatings (ICPC) said the researchers used nanotechnology to produce heat and fire resistant fibres, using mixture of non-flammable monomer and non-flammable complementary carbon nanotubes.

It was learnt that mixing of the two components resulted in considerable improvement in fibre properties, as compared to when they were used individually. This also boosted the non-flammability properties of fibres by a few more times.

Mr. Almasian said to ensure uniform application of coating on the fibre, presence of carbon nanotubes in the operation bath in dispersed form is essential. Carbon nanotubes can help in achieving the right dispersion. Non-flammable monomer is used as a bridge between the fibres and nanotubes, which help nanotubes to stabilize on fibres.

Mr. Almasian further said that the new technique is really important and should be used on cotton fibres, mainly in view of their high flammability. It can also be used variedly in domestic textiles and non-flammable clothes, he added.