Fire retardant material and textile article comprising ammonium polyphosphate particles and melamine-based particles

1. A fire retardant material for application to textiles comprising (a) ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine resin or melamine-based resin and (b) melamine-based particles retained in (c) a base material, wherein the weight to weight ratio of (a) ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and (b) melamine-based particles is from 3:1 to 1:3.

2. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the ammonium polyphosphate particles are surface reacted melamine ammonium polyphosphate particles.

3. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the ammonium polyphosphate particles are surface reacted melamine formaldehyde ammonium polyphosphate particles.

4. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the melamine-based particles are one or more of melamine cyanurate, melamine polyphosphate, melamine pyrophosphate, melamine phosphite.

5. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the base material comprises one of a wax, a resin or a binder.

6. A material according to claim 5 , wherein the base material comprises a polymeric resin, for example polyurethane.

7. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the weight to weight ratio of ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine-based particles is 1:1.

8. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the sum of the weights of ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine-based particles is less than 60 w/w % of the base resin.

9. A material according to claim 8 , wherein the sum of the weights of ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine-based particles is in the range of from 5 to 50 w/w % of the base resin.

10. A material according to claim 1 , wherein the base material comprises a polymeric resin and the melamine-based particles consist of melamine cyanurate.

11. A fire retardant textile article coated with a fire-retardant material according to claim 10 .

12. A textile article according to claim 11 , wherein the ammonium polyphosphate particles are surface reacted melamine ammonium polyphosphate particles.

13. A textile article according to claim 12 , wherein the ammonium polyphosphate particles are surface reacted melamine formaldehyde ammonium polyphosphate particles.

14. A textile article according to claim 11 , comprising a plurality of layers of fire retardant material according to claim 1 .

15. A textile article according to claim 11 , wherein the or each layer has a basis weight of from about 5 to about 55 gm −2 .

16. A textile article according to claim 14 , wherein the sum of the weights of ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine-based particles is in the range of from 5 to 25 w/w % of the base resin.

17. A method of coating a textile article to provide a fire-retardant textile article, the method comprising dispersing fire retardant material in a base material, the fire retardant material comprising ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine cyanurate particles, and coating the so-formed dispersion onto a textile article wherein the weight to weight ratio of ammonium polyphosphate particles microencapsulated within a melamine or melamine-based resin and melamine cyanurate particles is from 3:1 to 1:3.

18. A method according to claim 17 , comprising dispersing the fire-retardant material in a liquid resin solution.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the liquid resin solution is a polyurethane solution.