In order to reutilise the byproducts of foods and crops to benefit the environment and economise on resources, the natural extracts from chestnut shell and black rice bran were applied in the simultaneous dyeing and multifunctionalisation of silk fabrics. In this work, the influence of pH value on dyeing properties was studied. The effects of the ratio of chestnut shell and black rice bran extracts and the application of mordants (aluminium potassium sulphate and ferrous sulphate) on the dyeing performance as well as antiultraviolet and antioxidant properties of treated silk were also discussed. The results showed that deepcoloured silk fabrics can be obtained when dyed with the two natural extracts as the pH value of the dyebath approached 3. The ratio of the two natural extracts and the use of the mordants have significant effects on colour depth, colour hue, colour fastness, and the functionalities of dyed silk fabrics. Combination dyeing and mordanting are able to enrich the colour hues of dyed fabrics. The washing, rubbing, and light fastness of the dyed fabrics after mordanting can be rated higher than grade 4. Moreover, the silk after combination dyeing has good UV protection performance (UPF > 30) and antioxidant activity. In addition, the functionalities of treated fabrics showed excellent washing fastness. This study reveals that chestnut shell and black rice bran extracts are suitable as natural colourants and multifunctional finishing agents for the preparation of coloured and multifunctional silk materials.

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There is a significant interest in developing environmentally responsive or stimuli-responsive smart materials. The purpose of this study was to investigate multi-function responsive cotton fabrics with surface modification on the nanoscale. Three technologies including electrospinning technology, interpenetrating polymer network technology, and cross-linking technology were applied to prepare the multi-function sericin/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/Poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers, which were then grafted onto the surfaces of cotton textiles to endow the cotton textiles with outstanding stimuli-responsive functionalities. The multi-function responsive properties were evaluated via SEM, DSC, the pH-responsive swelling behavior test and contact angle measurements. The results demonstrate that with this method, multi-function responsive, including thermo- and pH-responsiveness, cotton fabrics were fast formed, and the stimuli-responsiveness of the materials was well controlled. In addition, the antimicrobial testing reveals efficient activity of cotton fabrics with the sericin/PNIPAM/PEO nanofiber treatments against Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The research shows that the presented strategy demonstrated the great potential of multi-function responsive cotton fabrics fabricated using our method.

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