Jiangsu Textile Research Institute Inc.

In addition to having good specific properties, functional fabrics sometimes need to have one or more additional properties, such as water and oil repellency, antifouling properties, mildew and antibacterial properties, etc.

Water-repellent and oil-repellent properties of functional fabrics

The water-repellent and oil-repellent properties of fabrics are based on limited wetting. After treatment, the fabric has the ability to resist the penetration of liquid oil under static conditions without being subjected to any external force.

There is a difference between water-repellent and waterproof fabrics. Waterproof finishing is to coat the surface of the fabric with a layer of impermeable compounds, such as grease, wax, paraffin, rubber and thermoplastic resin, to fill the pores on the surface of the fabric to achieve the purpose of waterproofing, but it is also not breathable. Water-repellent finishing uses hydrophobic compounds to deposit on the surface of the fiber to prevent water from soaking into it to achieve the purpose of water repellency. However, the finishing does not close the pores on the fabric, and air and water vapor can still pass through, making it both water-repellent and breathable. , often used in coats such as windbreakers and jackets. Water-repellent finishing agents are generally compounds with low surface energy groups. Using them to finish functional fabrics can evenly cover the fibers on the surface of the fabric with a new surface layer composed of water-repellent agent molecules, so that water cannot wet the fabric. .

Oil-repellent finishing is a low surface energy treatment of fabrics. Its principle is similar to water-repellent finishing, except that the fabric after oil-repellent finishing is required to have non-wetting properties against oils with low surface tension.

Anti-fouling properties of functional fabrics

The anti-fouling property of fabrics means that the fabric will not easily stick to dry dirt or oily dirt, or the dirt will easily fall off after sticking. It can also reduce the possibility of dirt re-contaminating clothes during the washing process. The anti-fouling finishing of fabrics is mainly to reduce the affinity between fabrics and pollutants (dry dirt or oil dirt). If the fabric surface is flat and smooth, it will help reduce the adhesion of solid dirt to the fabric; reducing the generation and accumulation of static electricity in the fabric will also help reduce the fabric's adsorption of suspended dirt; reducing the surface free energy of the fabric (oil-repellent finishing) will help reduce the fabric's adhesion Adsorption of oil stains.

|

UV protection properties of functional fabrics

When ultraviolet rays are irradiated on textile fabrics, part of them is reflected on the surface of the fabric, part of it is absorbed by the fabric, and the rest passes through the fabric. As the reflectivity and absorptivity increase, the transmittance decreases, and the protection against ultraviolet rays is better. The anti-UV mechanism is to increase the reflection or absorption ability of textile fabrics against UV rays to achieve the purpose of blocking UV rays.

According to the basic principles of UV radiation protection, UV protection methods can be divided into selecting fibers that are resistant to UV radiation and applying UV radiation-resistant coatings to textile fabrics. Impregnating the fabric with a coating containing anti-UV agents can make the fabric reflect and absorb ultraviolet radiation without damage, thereby preventing ultraviolet rays from penetrating and protecting the human body.

Since anti-UV finishing fabrics are mainly used to make summer clothing or protective products and are in direct contact with human skin, it is necessary to strengthen the skin allergy test, toxicity test and stability and durability test of the anti-UV effect of anti-UV finishing agents to ensure the product's protective function Effective, safe for humans, and environmentally friendly.