Exceptional wearability of multifunctional TiO2-coated hybrid silk fabric with controllable ultraviolet-protection properties

Ultraviolet (UV)-protective textiles have attracted significant attention because of their wide applicability. However, the anti-UV coatings of such textiles have an adverse effect on their wearing comfort, and other properties related to luster, softness and handle were also ignored. In this study, TiO2-coated silk fabric with controllable UV-protection properties was successfully fabricated via atomic layer deposition (ALD). The luster, bending properties, crease recovery, mechanical properties, air permeability and anti-UV properties of the TiO2-coated silk fabric were investigated. The results showed that the thickness, whiteness, bendability, tensile strength and anti-UV properties of the silk fabric increased progressively while its air permeability, wet crease recovery angle and dry crease recovery angle decreased with an increase in the thickness of the TiO2 coating. However, the coating did not have a negative effect on the usability of the fabric. Thus, the proposed ALD method is a promising one for modifying the surfaces of elastic textile materials in order to accord them with UV-protection properties.