UV-protection of cellulosic fabric prints using hyperbranched polyester-stabilized titania coating

Abstract

Abstract This study approached a convenient method for the organic pigment coated with titania for attaining good UV-shielding properties. Hyperbranched polyesters (HBPs) included various HBPs; generation2 (HBPs16) and generation 4 (HBPs 64) are formulated for encapsulation of phthalocyanine pigments using liquid-phase separation method. The encapsulated pigments are then coated by titania via sol-gel process from n-butoxide (TBOT).Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning/transmission electron microscope (SEM/TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), and zeta potential analysis were examined to illustrate the coating performance of titania. The stabilized coated pigment nanocomposites are used for printing of cellulosic fabrics. UV shielding property of the pigment prints was systematically investigated. It is further demonstrated that the obtained titania shells of pigment prints can serve as an efficient protection against UV light and could obviously enhance the UV shielding property. The degree of protection depends on the numbers of functional hydroxyl end groups in hyperbranched polyesters. Besides, the titania coated pigment has no noticeable effect on the driving force for acceleration of pigment printing process under the unfavourable conditions.