Development of strontium aluminate-printed nonwoven fabric from recycled cotton cellulose for smart wearable photochromic applications

Smart photochromic and fluorescent textile refers to garments that alter their colorimetric properties in response to external light stimulus. Cotton fibers have been reported as a main resource for many textile and non-textile industries, such as automobiles, medical devices, and furniture applications. Cotton is a natural fiber that is distinguished with breathability, softness, cheapness, and highly absorbent. However, there have been growing demands to find other resources for cotton textiles at high quality and low cost for various applications, such as sensor for harmful ultraviolet radiation. Herein, we present a novel method toward luminescent and photochromic nonwoven textiles from recycled cotton waste. Using the screen-printing technology, a cotton fabric that is both photochromic and fluorescent was developed using aqueous inorganic phosphor nanoparticles (10-18 nm)-containing printing paste. Both CIE Lab color coordinates and photoluminescence spectra showed that the transparent film printed on the nonwoven fabric develops a reversible green emission (519 nm) under ultraviolet light (365 nm), even at low pigment concentration (2%) in the printing paste. Colorfastness of printed fabrics showed high durability and photostability. Photoluminescent nonwoven textile was prepared for potential smart applications. Nonwoven cotton textile was recycled from woven cotton waste. Lanthanide-doped strontium aluminate nanoparticles (10-18 nm) were synthesized. Screen printing was applied to generate a photochromic layer on fabric surface. Red fabric changes color to green emission at 519 nm when excited at 365 nm. image