Imparting Protection against UV Radiations Using In Situ Coating of Titanium Dioxide on Textiles

Protection against ultraviolet radiation is one of the areas, in which considerable attention is being paid. Application of a wash durable finish on cotton fabric to protect the wearer from these radiations remains a challenge. The harmful effects of UV radiations result in the form of eye disorders, accelerated ageing of skin, DNA damage and cause of cancer. The current study focuses upon the use of TiO2 on cotton fabric to impart UV protection. TiO2 is deposited on cotton fabric using its pre-cursor. Sol-gel method has been used to convert pre-cursor into titanium oxide directly on fabric surface. The deposition was further stabilized on fabric surface by various heat treatments such as curing, hydrothermal and solvothermal treatments. It has been found that the TiO2 remains wash durable with a reasonably high degree of UV protection after hydrothermal and solvothermal treatments. EDX and ICP-MS techniques were used to examine the add-on % of TiO2 on cotton fabrics. The morphology of the TiO2 coated cotton fabric was studied using Field emission scanning electron microscopy. The measurement of UV protection property of the fabric has been carried out using UV-visible spectrophotometer (UV-2000F, Labsphere, USA).