Silica Aerogel Application to Polyester Fabric for Outdoor Clothing

Abstract

Most producers want to have a cheap, one-step system that will successfully apply multi-finishing operations without affecting any of the desired textile properties. Silica aerogel, used for isolation purposes in different areas such as construction, has been used in textile finishing in this study. 100 % polyester fabrics, which are widely used in outerwear, were impregnated with silica aerogel paste and binder at lower temperature and time than that applied for conventional coating method, providing decreased energy consumption. The samples were tested for wettability, soil release and hydrophobicity both before and after repeated laundering. Burst strength tests were also performed to investigate strength properties of the fabrics. The presence of silica groups on the treated fabrics was confirmed by FTIR spectra and thermal characteristics of the samples were evaluated by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results showed that aerogel impregnated fabrics provide superhydrophobic properties with a contact angle of around 170° and improved soil release properties even at very low add-ons. It was also found that the silica aerogel treatment has no adverse effect on the fabric appearance or strength properties.