The effect of Inorganic Nanoparticles on Camouflage Properties of Cotton/Polyester Fabrics

Drawing upon reflectance behavior of woodland colors involving dark brown in the UV-Vis-IR bands, two colored pigments were used to print cotton/polyester Co/PET goods. Inorganic nanoparticles of TiO2, ZnO and AL2O3 were also loaded onto the printing formulation. The reflectance profile of treated samples was studied using Jasco V-670 reflectance spectrophotometer. SEM analysis of printed fabrics and the effect of increasing inorganic nanoparticles on rubbing, light and washing fastness with colorimetric values of printed samples as well as the result of nanoparticles on wettability and air permeability of printed samples were investigated. Adjusting the reflectance profile of dark brown color was successfully applied using colored pigments along with the nanoparticles. The results indicate that the presence of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles in load limit of 0.25-1 g/kg in printing pastes made significant changes in the behavior of IR band though only a slight change in visible reflectance of printed fabrics was found. The samples containing nanoparticles showed great fastness levels in washing, rubbing and light fastness experiments and a considerable increase in wettability of printed fabrics. Furthermore, air permeability of printed fabrics containing nanoparticles was found superior to samples printed free of nanoparticles.