UV protection properties of workwear fabrics coated with TiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the ultraviolet protective factor (UPF) of fabrics coated with TiO2 nanoparticles made using an in-situ synthesis method and more accurately assess the intrinsic properties of the textile. The cotton-polyester twill fabric (70–30%) (246.67 g/m2) was coated in-situ with TiO2 nanoparticles. In-situ coating is conducted in 4 steps; washing the fabrics, preparation of nanoparticles, injecting the nanoparticles into fabrics, and drying the fabric after coating. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectrometer, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer were used to analyse the data of the coating and UPF results. Also, four standards such as ASTM D737, ISIRI 8332, ISIRI 4199, and ISIRI 567 were used for analyzing the intrinsic properties of a textile. The results of SEM, XRD and DLS altogether confirmed the in-situ formation of nanoparticles onto textile fibers. Moreover, the UPF value of the uncoated and coated fabrics was 3.67 and 55.82, respectively. It was shown that the in-situ deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles on fabric can provide adequate protection against UVR. Also, the results of analyzing the intrinsic properties of the textile showed that there were no significant differences in the intrinsic properties between the coated and uncoated fabrics. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the UV protective properties of workwear fabrics can be improved by coating TiO2 nanoparticles on them without any effect on the cooling effect of perspiration evaporation.

Effects of UV radiation on natural and synthetic materials

“…UV-absorbing oxide particles used either as a nanofiller or surface application to decorate the fibres can decrease the UV transmittance of fabrics incorporating them [193][194][195][196], as shown in Fig. 6.…”

UV protection properties of workwear fabric coated with metal-organic frameworks

“…10,11 Some specific applications of nanomaterials for protective textiles include TiO 2 nanomaterials for UV protective textiles, silver nanoparticles for antioxidant textiles, titanium silver nanoparticles for chemical protective textiles. 12 New materials such as metallic-organic frameworks (MOFs) can impart UV blocking properties to fabrics. 13…”

“…10,11 Some specific applications of nanomaterials for protective textiles include TiO 2 nanomaterials for UV protective textiles, silver nanoparticles for antioxidant textiles, titanium silver nanoparticles for chemical protective textiles. 12 New materials such as metallic-organic frameworks (MOFs) can impart UV blocking properties to fabrics. 13 Metal-organic frameworks, formed by metal ions or clusters and organic linkers, possess unique physical and chemical properties, including large surface area, controllable pore size, homogeneous active sites, and diverse functions.…”

Investigation of moisture vapor permeability and thermal comfort properties of ceramic embedded fabrics for protective clothing

“…Of these three mentioned above, the heat release/storage textile goods using a ceramic imbedding method have been developed and commercialized by many Japanese companies. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Many studies [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] on the ceramic-imbedded fabrics were performed using ceramic particles such as zirconium carbide (ZrC), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), which are well known to be very effective heat release storage additives.…”

“…On the other hand, some studies [14][15][16] using TiO 2 -and ZnO-nanoparticles were carried out to improve ultra-violet (UV) protection of fabrics, which were carried out using coated or laminated finishing method, but they showed limitation to the durability of the function after laundering and wearing. Accordingly, bi-component yarns imbedded the ceramic particles in the core were commercialized with technical information by various fiber manufacturing companies.…”