Novel method of obtaining textile fabrics with self-cleaning and antimicrobial properties

Abstract

The manuscript describes a simple, economical method of producing textiles resistant to dirt and contamination (wine, raspberry juice, dye). The manuscript compares the use of the combined PDMS/TiO₂ and PDMS/SiO₂ methods. A formulation in the form of an aqueous dispersion of copolymers of acrylic acid esters with vinyl acetate was used as a crosslinking agent. There are no identical methods in the literature reports. The self-cleaning effect of the fabrics was assessed on the basis of the contact angle measurement and the effective removal of impurities. The obtained results showed that the presence of both PDMS and SiO₂ and TiO₂ nanoparticles generated excellent hydrophobicity on a textile fabric with a water contact angle 147.3̊ and 143.5̊, respectively. Additionally, the introduction of an antibacterial substance to the finish allowed us to obtain the hydrophobic coating that inhibits the growth of microorganisms.

Keywords:

• Self-cleaning
• superhydrophobicity
• surface modification
• cotton
• textile fiber

Acknowledgments

The research was carried out as part of the MEiN subsidy: Self-cleaning surfaces with synergistic: photocatalytic and hydrophobic dirt removal mechanism with antimicrobial function (Nr 00/NMF/01/00/4/50).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.