Improving flame retardancy and hydrophobicity of fabrics via graphene inclusion obtained from recycled batteries

Recent advances in nanotechnology have enabled the bonding of nanoparticles to a wide variety of multifunctional fabrics. Nanoparticles have been incorporated into fabrics to produce flame-retardant, water-repellent, and ultraviolet-resistant multifunctional fabrics. Fabrics with flame-retardant properties can delay flame propagation, which is critical in various applications, particularly for high-temperature surroundings. Graphene nanoparticles have been utilized in various applications because of their unique properties, including high conductivity, light weight, thermal stability, and other excellent mechanical performance. Here, we report that the synthesis of graphene obtained from recycled batteries was utilized to improve the flame retardancy of fabrics by ensuring strong bonding among fabrics and nanoparticles. Functionally integrated graphene was captured using an electrochemical exfoliation process of the graphite rod from recycled batteries. The captured graphene was applied to the fabrics using the dipping-drying method to obtain flame-retardant graphene-enhanced fabrics. The structure and chemical composition of the captured graphene was characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Several other characterizations were performed on the graphene-enhanced fabrics to study flame retardancy, hydrophobicity, and surface morphology. This work shows that graphene-enhanced 100 % cotton fabric gave the best results in terms of flame retardancy: a total igniting time of 33 s in the flammability test. The hydrophobicity of the graphene-enhanced 100 % cotton fabric was also significantly improved. The hydrophilic surface was modified to a hydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of 106°. Graphene-enhanced cotton-polyester blend fabrics were also tested, and results were promising in terms of flammability and hydrophobicity. Overall, the modifying method illustrated in this study can be used in any textile preparation process due to it being inexpensive and eco-friendly since the primary material—graphene—is obtained from recycled batteries.