Supercritical CO$_2$ Technology in Resource-effective Production of Functional and Smart Textiles

Authors

  • Molla Tadesse Abate Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, P.O. Box 1037, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
  • Ada Ferri Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
  • Jinping Guan College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
  • Guoqiang Chen College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
  • Vincent Nierstrasz Textile Materials Technology, Department of Textile Technology, Faculty of Textiles, Engineering, and Business, University of Borås, 50190 Borås, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3993/jfbim00376

Keywords:

Supercritical CO$_2$;Functional and Smart textiles;Antimicrobial;Antioxidant;UV protective textile;Textile UV-sensor;Curcumin natural dye;Chitosan biopolymers;Photochromic textiles

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential application of scCO2 dyeing technology to produce functional and smart textiles. Selected dyes and functional agents were applied to polyester fabric using the scCO2 impregnation technique. The effects of the processing variables on the functional and colour performances were explored. The results showed that scCO2 is a viable technique to produce functional polyester fabric in a resource-efficient and eco-friendly way. Dyed polyester fabric with additional functionalities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, UV protection, and UV sensing properties were realised. The fabrics developed have demonstrated desirable colour and functional properties without affecting each other confirming compatibility. Moreover, the functional fabrics exhibited the required durability and fastness properties sufficient for various applications. This research project contributes towards widening the application of the supercritical CO2 dyeing technique and paves a way for sustainable production of functional and smart textiles in a resource-efficient and eco-friendly way.

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Published

2023-06-16

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Articles