Nonwoven materials have been increasingly used in many industries. The surface properties of nonwoven materials are of importance in these applications. In this study, functional nonwoven materials were prepared by sputtering deposition of copper (Cu), zinc oxide (ZnO), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the surface of polypropylene (PP) fibers. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) were employed to study the surface morphology and chemical compositions. The observations by AFM revealed the formation of functional nanostructures on the fibre surfaces and the ESEM examination confirmed the formation of functional compositions on the fiber surface. The metallic coating of Cu significantly improved the surface conductivity of the material. The transmittance analysis indicated that the ZnO coating obviously increased the ultra-violet absorption of the material. The surface hydrophobicity of the nonwoven material was enhanced by the sputter coating of PTFE.

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Functional nanocomposite nonwoven materials were prepared by surface coating with copper and silver using magnetron sputter coating. The composite nonwoven materials with metallic nanostructures were analyzed and compared by means of atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and electrical and optical tests. The observations by atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of functional nanostructures on the fibre surfaces. It was found that copper had more compact structures on the fiber surface than silver under the same sputtering conditions. The transmittance analysis showed that the nonwoven substrates deposited with nanostructural copper showed better ultraviolet and visible light absorption than those coated with silver. The functional nonwoven materials coated with silver had lower electrical resistance than those coated with copper.

Fibrous textiles have been increasingly used in a variety of industries. In these applications, the surface properties of textile materials play a very important role. The surface properties of textile materials can be modified by various techniques. Copper (Cu) nanocomposite textiles are prepared by magnetron sputter coating. The nanocomposite textiles with different thickness of coatings are investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and opto-electrical tests. The AFM observations reveal the growth of the Cu nanostructures formed on the fiber surface as the sputtering time increases. The surface conductivity of the textiles coated with Cu nanostructures shows a significant increase compared to the uncoated ones. The increased coating thickness leads to better electrical conductivity. The coated textiles also show considerable improvement in UV and visible light shielding, examined by UV/Vis spectrometer.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) spunbonded nonwovens using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering under different conditions. Indium tin oxide films with different thicknesses between 56 and 224 nm showed varying transmittances in the visible and ultraviolet regions. The transmittance of the nonwoven decreased as the thickness of the ITO film increased. The electrical properties of the material were also affected by the sputtering conditions. Lager sputtering power led to better electrical conductivity of the material. Higher sputtering pressure caused a decrease in electrical conductivity. The resistivity of the films first decreased with the increase in the temperature (till 150uC), and then increased as the temperature increased. The materials deposited with thicker ITO showed improved electrical conductivity.