Dagang Miao

Adhesion and durability of Cu film on polyester fabric prepared by finishing treatment with polyester-polyurethane and aqueous acrylate

To improve adhesion and wear durability at the interface between copper (Cu) film and polyester fabric, the Cu-coated polyester fabric was treated by two commercial solutions of polyester-polyurethane (PP) and aqueous acrylate (AC) as finishing process respectively. Both finishing agents with 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 % and 40 % concentrations were coated on the Cu-coated fabrics by a padding method in this study. The surface morphologies of the coated polyester fabric before and after finishing were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adhesion of Cu-coated film before and after the finishing treatments was measured with scotch tape method; the durability was evaluated by colorfastness to washing, crocking and perspiration. Additionally, Ultraviolet (UV) shielding, water repellency and CIE L*a*b of the Cu-coated polyester fabric before and after the finishing treatments were determined. The Cu-coated polyester fabric has a high adhesion property of the 5 level, colorfastness to washing, wet crocking and perspiration of the Cu-coated fabric were obviously enhanced to level 5, level 4-5 and level 3-4. Meanwhile, The Cu-coated polyester fabric kept an excellent UV protection with UPF value over 68 after finishing treatment with PP and AC. The results demonstrate the finishing treatment with the PP presented effectively in durability performance than the AC for the Cu-coated polyester fabric.

AgNps-PVA–coated woven cotton fabric: Preparation, water repellency, shielding properties and antibacterial activity

Nowadays, there is a large demand for smart textiles by consumers. Smart textiles have different functions, and can provide comfort, safety and protection. In this study, electro-conductive woven cotton fabric is prepared in two steps. The cotton fabric samples are first impregnated and padded with a polyvinyl alcohol solution of 5% for multiple cycles (1, 3, 5 and 7 cycles) and dried. Then, silver nanoparticles are deposited onto the fabric through magnetron sputtering technology. The coated samples are examined using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. The ultraviolet blocking, infrared reflection, electromagnetic shielding, and antibacterial properties are evaluated, as well as the contact angle, light transmittance and electrical conductivity. The results show that a polyvinyl alcohol film is successfully formed and the cotton fabric fibers are stuck together through hydrogen bonds. The light transmittance is increased after the polyvinyl alcohol pretreatment. After undergoing seven cycles of coating with polyvinyl alcohol, the silver nanoparticles-coated samples show large contact angle of 127.6°, excellent ultraviolet blocking property, a high infrared reflectivity of 30%, electrical resistivity of 1.46 × 10–6 Ω·m, electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of −20 dB and antibacterial efficacy of >99.5%. Compared to the untreated and silver-coated cotton without impregnation of polyvinyl alcohol, the silver nanoparticles–polyvinyl alcohol-coated cotton fabric sample has excellent performance, which makes it a promising textile with a multitude of protective properties.

CO 2 laser annealing for improved luminescent properties of Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ thin film grown on quartz fabric by using EBE

Thin films of yttrium oxide phosphor doped with trivalent europium ion (Y2O3:Eu3+) are grown on a quartz fabric substrate by using electron beam evaporation (EBE) and subsequently annealed by a pulsed CO2 laser with different lengths of pixel time and resolutions. Energy distribution of the laser beam on the thin films is analyzed, and the dependence of surface morphology, crystal structure and luminescent properties of the resultant fabrics on the laser annealing parameters is also studied. The experimental results demonstrate that the microstructure and luminescent properties of the Y2O3:Eu3+ thin films are strongly affected by the CO2 laser annealing, and the increased emission brightness can be realized in the thin films because of the complete melting film with relatively integral topography and the improved crystallinity by controlling the CO2 laser parameters. The highest luminescence is obtained when the Y2O3:Eu3+ thin films are annealed with a resolution of 35 dpi and a pixel time for 120 μs, and the luminescent intensity of the films is increased by 253.27% in comparison to the as-deposited films.

Photo-thermal conversion and thermal insulation properties of ZrC coated polyester fabric

Zirconium carbide (ZrC) films are deposited onto polyester fabric through magnetron sputtering. The deposited films are then examined by using field scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The photothermal conversion property, film thickness, infrared reflectance and transmittance, and thermal conductivity are also evaluated. The results show that the highest far-infrared emissivity of polyester fabric deposited with ZrC is 0.9379. The ZrC deposited samples showed a small increase in thermal conductivity with a difference of 0.0611W/m·K, and a higher photothermal conversion efficiency with a temperature increase of 27.5 °C in 100 s, when the thickness of the ZrC film is 1920 nm. These therefore indicate that coating fabrics with ZrC through magnetron sputtering is an environmentally friendly means to produce textiles with photo-thermal conversion and heat insulation properties.