Preparation of polydopamine methacrylamide lavender nanocapsules and study of their washing resistance properties

The preparation of aromatic cotton fabrics (ACF) is gradually gaining widespread attention, but the use of cross-linking agents is unsuitable for the current textile industry. In this study, inspired by mussels, we used dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) as the wall material and lavender essential oil (LO) as the core material to prepare a novel biomimetic adhesive nanocapsule (PDMA NCs) through the emulsion polymerization method. PDMA NCs exhibit pH-responsive properties, sustained adhesive properties, and excellent biocompatibility. During impregnation, PDMA NCs are connected to cotton fabrics (CF) through hydrogen bonds. The innovative introduction of the soft monomer n-butyl acrylate (BA) and Fe 3+ ions synergistically enhances the adhesive property of PDMA NCs. Washing resistance experiments show that the CF obtained from impregnation (PDMA NCs/BA/Fe 3+ @CF) exhibited an LO retention rate of 40.08 % after 25 washing cycles. Since the adhesion mechanism of this strategy is based on dual dynamic bonds (hydrogen bonds and Fe 3+ -catechol coordination bonds), the development of this technology is expected to promote the diversified development of functional textiles, increase the added value of textiles, and provide new approaches for the preparation of smart textiles.