SOL-GEL DERIVED INORGANIC-ORGANIC HYBRID POLYMERS FILLED WITH ZNO NANOPARTICLES AS ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTION FINISH FOR TEXTILES

Abstract In spite of some beneficial effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on skin, radiation can cause sunburn, skin aging, allergies and even skin cancer. Textiles can provide effective protection against such damage of UV radiation. Unlike cosmetics, using textiles protecting the skin or at least enhancing protection has only recently been researched. The design and modification of fabrics leading to a high protection against UV radiation is a relatively new application. It is very important to consider the kind of textile to be used, most of the garments worn during summer, the time of highest exposition, are light and colourless materials and therefore provide the lowest protection. We report the synthesis and characterization of nanosized zinc oxide particles known to highly absorb UV light. Sol-gel based inorganic-organic hybrid polymers were modified with these particles and were applied to cellulosic cotton (100%) and cotton/polyester (65/35%) fabrics. These modified inorganicorganic hybrids polymers were based on 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). Complete finishing sol prepared in this work has remarked long stability for further processing. The effectiveness of the novel finishing was determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy and by evaluation of the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). The influences of the finishing for some general textile properties as e.g. tensile strength, elongation, air permeability, degree of whiteness, wear-resistance, stiffness as well as the durability of the treatments were investigated.