Preparation and Characterization of Copper Nanocomposite Textiles

Fibrous textiles have been increasingly used in a variety of industries. In these applications, the surface properties of textile materials play a very important role. The surface properties of textile materials can be modified by various techniques. Copper (Cu) nanocomposite textiles are prepared by magnetron sputter coating. The nanocomposite textiles with different thickness of coatings are investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and opto-electrical tests. The AFM observations reveal the growth of the Cu nanostructures formed on the fiber surface as the sputtering time increases. The surface conductivity of the textiles coated with Cu nanostructures shows a significant increase compared to the uncoated ones. The increased coating thickness leads to better electrical conductivity. The coated textiles also show considerable improvement in UV and visible light shielding, examined by UV/Vis spectrometer.