A facile approach to developing multifunctional archaeological wool fabric surface with self-cleaning, and UV protection properties using nano-coating

Abstract

In most Egyptian museums and storage facilities, archaeological textiles face several difficulties, including liquid stains, light effects, and the effects of air pollution. The majority of them are the consequence of human intervention, inappropriate handling, and poor display techniques. This research aims to provide colorful archaeological wool fabric surfaces with UV irradiation protection and self-cleaning properties without compromising the fabric’s mechanical or aesthetic qualities. To preserve archaeological wool fabrics from different stains and harmful light radiation, two simple coating technologies (hydrophilic and hydrophobic coating) were developed for the first time. The experiment used empirically accelerated aging of natural dyed wool fabrics to produce textile models that were as analogous as possible to the archaeological textiles. In the first coating method, the surfaces of hydrophilic fabrics were created by coating wool samples with calcium-alginate and nanoscale metal oxide particles (Ca-ALG@metal oxide nanoparticles). In the second coating technique, SiO2 NPs@silicon rubber (SiO2 NPs@RTV) was applied to the wool fabrics to generate the surfaces of superhydrophobic wool fabrics. The impact of the two coating treatments was assessed on the physicochemical characteristics and preservative features of the treated and standard wool fabric samples, including mechanical characteristics, color, light radiation protection, and self-cleaning.