Multifunctional Cotton Fabric Research Articles

Photo-catalyst Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposites: green synthesis and investigation of magnetic nanoparticles coated on cotton

We have successfully synthesized Fe3O4 and TiO2 nanoparticles in the presence of pomegranate juice. We then prepared multi-functional cotton fabrics coated with Fe3O4/TiO2 (10:10 %) nanocomposite, using pad-dry-cure method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the properties of fabrics before and after coating like X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR) spectroscopy. Alternating gradient force magnetometer (AGFM) illustrated super-paramagnetic behavior of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The photo-catalytic behavior of Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposites was evaluated using the degradation of three azo-dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation. Fe3O4–TiO2 nanostructures were added to cotton and the results show that nanocomposites have applicable magnetic and photocatalytic performance.

Layer by layer assembly of nanosilver for high performance cotton fabrics

High performance cellulosic fabrics are of increasing attention as a wearable fabric with special functions. The current report deals with preparation of multifunctional cotton fabrics by using simple and facile layer by layer technique. Firstly, silver nitrate was reacted with carboxymethyl cellulose to prepare Ag nanoparticles-carboxymethyl cellulose composite. Multi-layers of the so-obtained composite were applied on the cotton fabrics using pad-dry-cure method. Ag nanoparticles were deposited with mean size of 18.2 nm onto cotton fabrics which served as a cross linker between carboxymethyl cellulose macromolecules and cotton macromolecular blocks. Application of composite multilayers brought new properties for the finished cloths such like coloration, ultraviolet resistance, electrical resistance and biocidal action. The ultraviolet transmission radiation was significantly reduced to 7-10 % after applying ten composite layers. Valuable antibacterial textiles which are required in different medical purposes could be successfully produced, as excellent antibacterial activities were achieved by using the reported method. The developed process can be easily adapted to the existing textile machinery, making it industrially viable to produce fabric’s versatility.

Development of multi-functional cotton fabrics with Ag/AgBr–TiO2 nanocomposite coating

This paper reported the preparation of multi-functional cotton fabrics with Ag/AgBr–TiO2 nanocomposite coating, aiming at enhancing the technical value of fabrics using a simple spray coating process. Various techniques were employed to characterize the changes on the mechanical, surface and physical properties of fabrics before and after coating. The results showed that the introduction of nanocomposite coating onto cotton fabrics significantly enhanced their mechanical properties under both warp and weft directions, along with a rectified surface property from the hydrophilic to the hydrophobic. More interestingly, the developed fabrics exhibited excellent antibacterial, selective oil adsorption behavior from oil-water mixtures and UV blocking activities, thus significantly enhancing the value of cotton fabrics for various applications.

A novel multifunctional cotton fabric using ZrO2 NPs/urea/CTAB/MA/SHP: introducing flame retardant, photoactive and antibacterial properties

This study was aimed to investigate the possibility of producing multifunctional properties on cotton fabric using ZrO2 nanoparticles along with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and urea. Maleic acid was also used as a cross-linking agent in the presence of sodium hypophosphite as the catalyst to stabilize fabric from creasing and nanoparticles on the fabric surface. The flame retardant properties of the treated samples were examined using char length and thermogravimetry analysis. The self-cleaning properties of treated cotton fabrics were also analyzed based on the discoloration of methylene blue under sunlight irradiation. The antibacterial activities of treated fabrics were examined against Escherichia coli through counting method. The surface of the treated cotton and microstructure of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Introducing urea as a nitrogen source enhanced both the flame retardant and photoactivity of the nano-ZrO2-treated fabric. Moreover, incorporating CTAB in the finishing formulation exhibited the satisfactory antibacterial properties on the treated fabrics.

Multifunctional cotton fabrics with graphene/polyurethane coatings with far-infrared emission, electrical conductivity, and ultraviolet-blocking properties

In order to introduce multifunctional properties into flexible cotton fabric, graphene and waterborne anionic aliphatic polyurethane composites were prepared and then deposited on the surface of the fabric substrate through facile pad-dry-cure process. The fabrics thus obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and their functional properties such as far-infrared emission, electrical conductivity, and ultraviolet (UV) blocking were studied. The coating process enhanced the far-infrared emissivity up to 0.911 in the wavelength range of 4–18 μm. In addition, the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of the fabric with 0.8-wt% graphene could reach 500, up to 60-fold higher than that of pristine cotton fabric (UPF 8.19), and its electrical resistivity was decreased from 1.15 × 107 to 2.94 × 10−1 Ω m, which is almost 8 orders of magnitude. The fabrics have also been found to be stable even after 10 cycles of laundering.

Development of multifunctional cotton fabric using atmospheric pressure plasma and nano-finishing

The possibility of using atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment for textile surface activation to facilitate deposition of nano TiO2/SiO2 onto cotton fabric is investigated. It is aimed to develop a multifunctional cotton textile using plasma and nanotechnology. The treated fabric is evaluated through measuring the ultraviolet protection factor, antimicrobial activity, and flame retardancy as functional finishes. Surface morphology (Scanning electron microscopy, SEM), thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical properties were also studied. SEM shows deposition of nanoparticles onto the fabric. He–O2 plasma pretreatment improves the flame retardancy, antibacterial activity, and thermal stability of the samples were compared with the untreated samples.

Functionalization of cotton fabric with graphene oxide nanosheet and polyaniline for conductive and UV blocking properties

Multifunctional cotton fabric with high electrical conductivity and ultrastrong UV radiation protection properties was successfully fabricated by coating graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet dispersion on fabric surface via vacuum filtration deposition (VFD) method, and then the treated fabric was assembled with polyaniline (PANI) by in-situ chemical polymerization process. The structure and morphological studies showed that the deposition of GO nanosheet is benefit to enhance the uniformity of aniline polymerization on the surface of PANI-GO-cotton fabric. Furthermore, the electrical resistivity of PANI-GO-cotton decrease approximately 106 times compared with control cotton, reached at 48.35Ωcm. PANI-GO-cotton also performed ultrastrong UV radiation protection ability with a UPF value of 445.21, which is superhigher than that of control fabric (UPF rating at 6.86). Moreover, even repeated 10 times water laundering showed nearly no effect on electrical conductivity and UV radiation protection efficiency.

Preparation and characterization of multifunctional cotton fabric by coating with sonochemically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticle-flakes and a novel approach to monitor its self-cleaning property

Multifunctional cotton fabric has been prepared by pad-dry-coating with sonochemically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles. The uniqueness of sonochemical synthesis is that it synthesizes without alkali at near neutral pH and hence the cotton fabric is exposed to less chemical stress. As a result of coating, the fabric shows enhanced mechanical strength, water and stain repellence, antimicrobial properties, UV-blocking capacity and self-cleaning characteristics compared to the uncoated fabric. The self-cleaning property was tested with Trypan Blue dye under sunlight. The attempt of quantifying the self-cleaning process with the rate of decolorization is a novel one. It was observed that about 69% of the colour was removed when the coated fabric was exposed to sunlight for 3 h and 30 min. The fading of colour followed pseudo-first-order kinetics.

Preparation and properties of multifunctional cotton fabrics treated by phenolic acids

Phenolic acids are found in many plant-based natural antioxidants and are known to offer diverse health-promoting effects such as antimelanogenic, antioxidant, antineoplastic, and bacteriostatic properties. Furthermore, they not only inhibit pathogen growth but also have little toxicity to human beings. Therefore, in this study we treated cotton fabrics with two different phenolic acids, gallic acid (GA) and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA), through a pad-dry cure process, and investigated the properties such as mechanical properties, antibacterial ability, antioxidant ability, etc. Consequently, the phenolic acid treatment did not have significant influence on color, touch, and tensile strength of cotton fabrics. However, it was found that the cotton fabrics treated by both GA and 4-HBA showed high antibacterial ability against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia; however, only the GA treated cotton fabrics showed reasonable antioxidant ability.

Preparation of the cotton fabric with ultraviolet resistance and antibacterial activity using nano attapulgite colloidal particles

A carefully designed surface modification technique for the preparation of multifunctional cotton fabric was successfully developed by the functionalization of cotton fabric with nano attapulgite (ATP) colloidal particles. The dispersion of the nano ATP colloidal particles, the morphology, microstructure, thermal stability, ultraviolet resistance, antibacterial activity and air permeability of the treated cotton fabric were characterized. The results showed that the particle size of the ATP particle distributed between 100 nm to 150 nm after dispersion. The SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectra) analysis demonstrated that the ATP particles were successfully introduced to surface of the cotton fabric. The structural and thermal stability of the treated fabric were higher than those of the untreated fabric. The ATP treated cotton fabric possessed excellent ultraviolet resistance and antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the treatment did not affect the wear ability of the cotton fabric. The multifunctional cotton fabric meets the market demand for natural products.

Functionalization of cotton fabrics with rutile TiO2 nanoparticles: Applications for superhydrophobic, UV-shielding and self-cleaning properties

The superhydrophobic cotton fabrics were prepared by combining the coating of titanium dioxide (TiO2) with the subsequent dodecafluoroheptyl-propyl-trimethoxysilane (DFTMS) modification. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the nanosized TiO2 sphere consisted of granular rutile. The TiO2 layer coated on the cotton altered both the surface roughness for enhancing the hydrophobicity and UV-shielding property. The cotton fabric samples showed excellent water repellency with a water contact angle as high as 162°. The UV-shielding was characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry, and the results indicated that the fabrics could dramatically reduce the UV radiation. The photocatalytic progress showed that organic stains were successfully degraded by exposure of the stained fabric to UV radiation. Such multifunctional cotton fabrics may have potentials for commercial applications.