Studies of Polylactic Acid and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles-Based Composites for Multifunctional Textile Prints

A novel approach toward the production of multifunctional printed technical textiles is reported. Three different metal oxides nanoparticles including titanium dioxide, magnesium oxide, and zinc oxide were prepared and characterized. Both natural wool and synthetic acrylic fibers were pretreated with the prepared metal oxide nanoparticles followed by printing using polylactic acid based paste containing acid or basic dyestuffs. Another route was applied via post-treatment of the targeted fabrics with the metal oxide nanoparticles after running the printing process. The color strength (K/S) and colorfastness properties of pretreated and post-treated printed fabrics were evaluated and compared with untreated printed fabrics. The presence of nanoparticles on a fabric surface during the coating process was found to significantly increase the color strength value of the coated textile substrates. The increased K/S value depended mainly on the nature and concentration of the applied metal oxide, as well as the nature of colorant and fabric. In addition, the applied metal oxide nanoparticles imparted the printed fabrics with good antibacterial activity, high ultraviolet protection, photocatalytic self-cleaning, and improved colorfastness properties. Those results suggest that the applied metal oxide-based nanoparticles could introduce ideal multifunctional prints for garments.