UV-resist, Water-repellent Breathable Fabric as Protective Textiles

The demand for healthy lifestyles and comfort drives researchers to explore newer techniques to impart more functional properties in textiles. An attempt has been made to produce UV-resist, breathable fabrics for use in the cold regions of India as high-altitude fabrics. For UV-resist property, a dispersion of benzotrizol-type derivative and a silicone-based product are taken and perfluoro-alkyl-type fluorocarbon-based compound and fluorocarbon resin-type compound are used as water-repellent finishes. To estimate the performance of each finish on the fabric, these chemicals are applied separately with different concentrations. The finished fabrics are evaluated for their functional properties. It is found that the benzotriozol derivative for UV-resist and the fluorocarbon resin-type compound for water-repellent finish give best results. Both chemicals are applied sequentially and show good wash fastness.