Polysiloxane features on different nanostructure geometries; nano-wires and nano-ribbons

In our previous study, nanostructures of silver with two anisotropic geometries of nano-wires and nano-ribbons were synthesized on the fabric surfaces via an in-situ process. In this research, the effect of cross-linkable polysiloxane (termed XPs) coating on the various properties of fabrics with these two geometries, prepared by the previous technique, has been investigated. The effects of this treatment on different properties of treated fabrics including washing durability, water repellency (contact angle and droplet absorption time), stain repellency, handle (bending length), wrinkle resistance, air permeability, UV protection properties and antibacterial efficiency have been evaluated. A hydrophobic feature has appeared on the surfaces by using the treatment, increasing droplet contact angle as well as droplet absorption time, and satisfying the complete stain repellency. The treatment also improved air permeability, softness, wrinkle resistance and especially washing fastness of the fabric samples. The most important finding revealed that the geometry of nanostructures mainly determined the efficiency of XPs treatment. In fact, the XPs treatment can provide a complete coverage on the nano-wires lying on the fabric surfaces, while the resin cannot completely cover the nano-ribbons due to their particular geometry. Then, water repellency in the case of XPs treated nano-wires was more than that of XPs treated nano-ribbons. This has also been proven by the evidence on the washing durability of these two treated geometries. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.