UV Shielding Fabrics

Research and Practice of Colloids in UV Shielding Fabrics

Traditional textiles have deficiencies in protection against external environmental hazards. With the development and advancement of technology, the application of colloidal materials in the development of protective textiles has increased rapidly. Various types of colloidal materials have been used to produce textiles with additional functions, such as flame retardant textiles, antibacterial textiles, UV protective textiles, self-cleaning textiles, industrial textiles, etc. Colloidal materials possess properties such as high specific surface area, improved functionality, and high surface energy, which can interact better with textile materials, providing fabrics with better functionality and better durability. For example, bleached cotton fabric treated with 2% ZnO colloidal particles (40 nm particle size) in an acrylic binder showed 75% UV blocking. And colloidal TiO₂ has been widely used as a UV blocker in the manufacture of UV protective textiles.

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of ZnO-PS hybrid nanocoatings on cotton fabrics.^[1]

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of the preparation of CuO/BVO-treated cotton fabrics.^[3]

Colloidal materials as additives for UV-protective textiles are a promising area of research. Alfa Chemistry enables in-depth study of the interaction between colloidal materials and textiles and develops various methods for incorporating colloidal materials into textile matrices. We are also able to study the durability and toxicological properties of the UV protection properties of textiles treated with colloidal materials using various detection techniques.

What Can We Do?

• Alfa Chemistry is able to provide colloidal materials for UV protective textile applications.
• Alfa Chemistry can help customers develop UV protective textiles with colloidal materials through various synthesis methods.
• Alfa Chemistry provides support services for studying the UV blocking mechanism of various colloidal materials.

References

1. Mondal S. Nanomaterials for UV protective textiles. Journal of Industrial Textiles. 2021.
2. Guina Ren, et al. A simple way to an ultra-robust superhydrophobic fabric with mechanical stability, UV durability, and UV shielding property. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 2018, 522:57-62.
3. Ran J, et al. Immobilizing CuO/BiVO₄ nanocomposite on PDA-templated cotton fabric for visible light photocatalysis, antimicrobial activity and UV protection. Applied Surface Science. 2019, 493.

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