Functional Coatings for Textile Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Functional Polymer Coatings and Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 June 2025 | Viewed by 43926

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials, Fibers and Textile Testing, Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: application of ecological acceptable technology low-pressure and atmospheric plasmas; application of plasma to modify the surfaces and properties of textile materials and natural leather; layering processes in plasma and deposition process with argon in plasma; ecological procedures for processing textile materials using natural extracts and plasma; extrusion of man-made fibers using a chemical process from a melt and 3D printing technology; modification of the properties of fibers and textile materials; testing and quality control of textile materials and products
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue on "Functional Coatings for Textile Applications". Currently, due to the increasing growth competition textile materials cannot be restricted to clothes, linen, tablecloth, and curtains, but they have to also be regarded as high-tech products that, in addition to the traditional clothing industry, find application in many technological fields, like construction, agriculture, automotive, aerospace, and medicine. In this regard, recently, both the surface activation and deposition of thin functional coatings have been investigated in order to confer different properties to textiles. The scope of this Special Issue on textile coatings is not to focus on traditional textile coatings that usually encompass passive protections or decorations, but in the new advanced textile active coatings that envisage extending the functionality of conventional textiles.

In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Memory polymer coatings for smart textiles;
  • Self-cleaning processes on textile surfaces;
  • Self-healing textile coatings;
  • Smart breathable coatings for textiles;
  • Conductive polymer coatings;
  • Photonic materials for textile coatings;
  • Smart medical textiles and antimicrobial textile coatings;
  • Coatings for protection and comfort in clothing and sportswear;
  • Biomimetic textile coatings;
  • Advance processes and technologies for smart textile coating by microencapsulation, low-pressure, and atmospheric plasma treatments, nanotechnology-based and sol–gel coating technologies.

Dr. Andrea Zille
Prof. Dr. Sanja Ercegović Ražić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 847 KiB  
Editorial
Sustainable Textile Fabric Coatings: From Materials to Applications
by Nour F. Attia, Sally E. A. Elashery and Marwa Abd-Ellah
Coatings 2023, 13(2), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13020336 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3055
Abstract
In order to meet the technical requirements, it is necessary to infuse new functions into textile fabrics due to the rapid advancement in the exploitation of textile-based materials in various industrial applications [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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Research

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13 pages, 4614 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric Plasma and UV Polymerisation for Developing Sustainable Anti-Adhesive Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Surfaces
by Tugce Caykara, Sara Fernandes, Adelaide Braga, Joana Rodrigues, Ligia Raquel Rodrigues and Carla Joana Silva
Coatings 2023, 13(4), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13040715 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1989
Abstract
Enhancing the hydrophilicity of polymeric materials is an important step for achieving anti-adhesiveness. Thus, in this study, atmospheric plasma as a pre-treatment was combined with a UV grafting process to obtain a durable surface modification on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The most promising conditions [...] Read more.
Enhancing the hydrophilicity of polymeric materials is an important step for achieving anti-adhesiveness. Thus, in this study, atmospheric plasma as a pre-treatment was combined with a UV grafting process to obtain a durable surface modification on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The most promising conditions for the atmospheric plasma process were found to be 15 kW power and 4 m/min speed, leading to a contact angle reduction from 70 ± 6° to approximately 30°. However, it was observed that these values increased over time due to the ageing and washing of the PET surface, ultimately causing it to recover its initial contact angle. Therefore, the plasma-pre-treated PET samples were further modified through a UV grafting process using sodium acrylate (NaAc) and 3-sulfopropyl acrylate potassium salts (KAc). The grafted acrylate PET samples exhibited contact angles of 8 ± 3° and 28 ± 13° for NaAc and KAc, respectively, while showing durability in ageing and washing tests. The dry film thicknesses for both samples were found to be 28 ± 2 μm. Finally, the anti-adhesive properties of the NaAc- and KAc-treated surfaces were evaluated using an Escherichia coli expressing YadA, an adhesive protein from Yersinia. The modified PET surfaces were highly effective in reducing bacterial adhesion by more than 90%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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17 pages, 4960 KiB  
Article
Aging Effect on Functionalized Silver-Based Nanocoating Braided Coronary Stents
by Rita Rebelo, Jorge Padrão, Margarida M. Fernandes, Sandra Carvalho, Mariana Henriques, Andrea Zille and Raul Fangueiro
Coatings 2020, 10(12), 1234; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10121234 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3217
Abstract
A previously developed fiber-based polyester (PES) stent, with mechanical properties comparable to commercial nitinol stents, was coated with metallic silver (Ag0) and silver oxides (AgxO) thin films through direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. Ag0 and AgxO [...] Read more.
A previously developed fiber-based polyester (PES) stent, with mechanical properties comparable to commercial nitinol stents, was coated with metallic silver (Ag0) and silver oxides (AgxO) thin films through direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. Ag0 and AgxO coatings provide antimicrobial properties to the stents to minimize the occurrence of coronary stent infections. Nevertheless, the stent interacts with the atmosphere and then with the biological fluids and may lead to the generation of silver species with diminished antimicrobial efficiency and/or prone to induce cytotoxicity. Therefore, stent coating nanostructures aged 3 months were thoroughly analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and their antimicrobial and cytotoxicity properties were assessed. Aging led to the presence of silver carbonate and bicarbonate as well as chemisorbed oxygen species in Ag0 and AgxO coatings. Bactericidal efficacy was tested against an important nosocomial bacterium, particularly associated to indwelling devices: Staphylococcus epidermidis. Aged Ag0 and AgxO coating presented a Log reduction of 1 and 2 at their surface; respectively. However, aged stents were able to induce a Log reduction of 2 (Ag0) and 4 (AgxO) on the surrounding medium. Only aged AgxO stent was able to provide a mild reduction of the bacterium at its surface and a clear antimicrobial effect (Log reduction >3) within its vicinity. More importantly, both aged Ag0 and AgxO stents were shown to be compatible with fibroblasts cells indicating that they can be safely used as indwelling devices, despite the aging effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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14 pages, 3380 KiB  
Article
Formation of Coatings Based on Titanium Dioxide Nanosolson Polyester Fibre Materials
by Natalia Prorokova, Tatiana Kumeeva and Igor Kholodkov
Coatings 2020, 10(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10010082 - 19 Jan 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3971
Abstract
In this paper, we show that functionalization of fibrous materials through coating formation is hindered by the need to preserve the capillary-porous system of the fabric and its drapability. Additionally, such coatings must be resistant to abrasion and washing. We consider ways of [...] Read more.
In this paper, we show that functionalization of fibrous materials through coating formation is hindered by the need to preserve the capillary-porous system of the fabric and its drapability. Additionally, such coatings must be resistant to abrasion and washing. We consider ways of solving these problems by analysing the formation of a stable coating based on photoactive titanium dioxide on a polyester fibre material as an example. The purpose of such coatings is to destroy coloured organic contaminants when the fabric is exposed to sunlight. We show that a polyester fabric with a titanium dioxide coating can become highly photochemically active and capable of inhibiting the vital activity of gram-negative bacteria and remaining soft and breathable at the same time. We also determined that depositing a titanium dioxide coating does not reduce the polyester fabric tensile strength. Polyester fabrics with photoactive properties can be widely used as decorative and trimming materials—for housing decoration, production of curtains and other decorative interior design elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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12 pages, 8516 KiB  
Article
Surface Functionalization of Wool via Microbial-Transglutaminase as Bio-Mordant to Improve Dyeability with Madder in the Presence of Alum
by Reza Assefi Pour and Jinxin He
Coatings 2020, 10(1), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10010078 - 17 Jan 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3692
Abstract
Herein, the wool fabric was mordanted with alum, treated with microbial transglutaminase (m-TGase), and then dyed with madder. Different concentrations of alum and m-TGase were used to find out the optimum condition to achieve the best color after dyeing the wool fabrics with [...] Read more.
Herein, the wool fabric was mordanted with alum, treated with microbial transglutaminase (m-TGase), and then dyed with madder. Different concentrations of alum and m-TGase were used to find out the optimum condition to achieve the best color after dyeing the wool fabrics with aqueous extract of madder. FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods were applied to characterize the as-prepared samples. Contact angle measurements showed that the water uptake capability was increased in the case of the wool sample treated with alum and enzyme. Moreover, the samples were assessed for color strength (K/S) and color fastness. Our results showed that the optimal condition to get the highest color value was for the sample with 10% owf (of weight of fabric) alum and 5% owf m-TGase. Furthermore, it was found that there was a critical concentration for enzyme so that an increase in m-TGase amount would cause damage to the scales of fibers. The best condition of the dyeing process was discussed in this study, and also the proposed mechanism was presented. Indeed, treatment of wool with m-TGase led to a reduction in the amount of consumed alum, while investigations in color performances demonstrated the enhancement in color fastness, as well as color strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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14 pages, 8782 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Low Concentration PVP-Silver Nanoparticles Deposited on DBD Plasma-Treated Polyamide 6,6 Fabric
by Ana Isabel Ribeiro, Dilara Senturk, Késia Karina Silva, Martina Modic, Uros Cvelbar, Gheorghe Dinescu, Bogdana Mitu, Anton Nikiforov, Christophe Leys, Irina Kuchakova, Mike De Vrieze, António Pedro Souto and Andrea Zille
Coatings 2019, 9(9), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9090581 - 14 Sep 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4448
Abstract
In this study, a low concentration (10 μg·mL−1) of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were deposited by spray and exhaustion (30, 70 and 100 °C) methods onto untreated and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-treated polyamide 6,6 (PA66) fabric. DBD plasma-treated samples [...] Read more.
In this study, a low concentration (10 μg·mL−1) of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were deposited by spray and exhaustion (30, 70 and 100 °C) methods onto untreated and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-treated polyamide 6,6 (PA66) fabric. DBD plasma-treated samples showed higher AgNP deposition than untreated ones for all methods. After five washing cycles, only DBD plasma-treated samples displayed AgNPs on the fabric surface. The best-performing method was exhaustion at 30 °C, which exhibited less agglomeration and the best antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus (4 log reduction). For E. coli, the antimicrobial effect showed good results in all the exhaustion samples (5 log reduction). Considering the spray method, only the DBD plasma-treated samples showed some bacteriostatic activity for both strains, but the AgNP concentration was not enough to have a bactericidal effect. Our results suggest DBD plasma may be a low cost and chemical-free method for the preparation of antibacterial textiles, allowing for the immobilization of a very low—but effective—concentration of AgNPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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18 pages, 5732 KiB  
Article
Proactive Release of Antimicrobial Essential Oil from a “Smart” Cotton Fabric
by Danaja Štular, Matic Šobak, Mohor Mihelčič, Ervin Šest, Ilija German Ilić, Ivan Jerman, Barbara Simončič and Brigita Tomšič
Coatings 2019, 9(4), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9040242 - 10 Apr 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3983
Abstract
Two temperature and pH responsive submicron hydrogels based on poly(N- methylenebisacrylamide), chitosan and β-cyclodextrines (PNCS/CD hydrogel) with varying poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to chitosan ratios were synthesized according to a simplified procedure, reflecting improved stimuli responsive properties and excellent bio-barrier properties, granted [...] Read more.
Two temperature and pH responsive submicron hydrogels based on poly(N- methylenebisacrylamide), chitosan and β-cyclodextrines (PNCS/CD hydrogel) with varying poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to chitosan ratios were synthesized according to a simplified procedure, reflecting improved stimuli responsive properties and excellent bio-barrier properties, granted by incorporated chitosan. Hydrogels were applied to cotton-cellulose fabric as active coatings. Subsequently, antimicrobially active savory essential oil (EO) was embedded into the hydrogels in order to develop temperature- and pH-responsive cotton-cellulose fabric with double antimicrobial activity, i.e., bio-barrier formation of chitosan along with the proactive release of savory EO at predetermined conditions. The influence of the hydrogels chemical composition on stimuli responsive and antibacterial properties were assessed. Both PNCS/CD hydrogels showed stimuli responsiveness along with controlled release of savory EO. The chemical composition of the hydrogels strongly influenced the size of the hydrogel particles, their temperature and pH responsiveness, and the bio-barrier forming activity. The increased concentration of chitosan resulted in superior overall stimuli responsiveness and excellent synergy between the antimicrobial activities of the hydrogel and released savory EO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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Review

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26 pages, 6430 KiB  
Review
Zinc Oxide for Functional Textile Coatings: Recent Advances
by Anja Verbič, Marija Gorjanc and Barbara Simončič
Coatings 2019, 9(9), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9090550 - 27 Aug 2019
Cited by 150 | Viewed by 17432
Abstract
The use of ZnO for the functionalization of textile substrates is growing rapidly, since it can provide unique multifunctional properties, such as photocatalytic self-cleaning, antimicrobial activity, UV protection, flame retardancy, thermal insulation and moisture management, hydrophobicity, and electrical conductivity. This paper aims to [...] Read more.
The use of ZnO for the functionalization of textile substrates is growing rapidly, since it can provide unique multifunctional properties, such as photocatalytic self-cleaning, antimicrobial activity, UV protection, flame retardancy, thermal insulation and moisture management, hydrophobicity, and electrical conductivity. This paper aims to review the recent progress in the fabrication of ZnO-functionalized textiles, with an emphasis on understanding the specificity and mechanisms of ZnO action that impart individual properties to the textile fibers. The most common synthesis and application processes of ZnO to textile substrates are summarized. The influence of ZnO concentration, particle size and shape on ZnO functionality is presented. The importance of doping and coupling procedures to enhance ZnO performance is highlighted. The need to use binding and seeding agents to increase the durability of ZnO coatings is expressed. In addition to functional properties, the cytotoxicity of ZnO coatings is also discussed. Future directions in the use of ZnO for textile functionalization are identified as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Coatings for Textile Applications)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Features of The Formation of Coatings Based on Titanium Dioxide Nanosols on a Polyester Fibrous Material
Authors: Natalia P. Prorokova, Tatyana Yu. Kumeeva, Igor V. Kholodkov
Abstract: In the article we showed that the functionalization of fibrous materials through the formation of coatings is impeded by the need to keep the capillary-porous system of the fabric and its ability to drape unchanged. In addition, the formed coating should be resistant to abrasion and washing. We examined the ways to solve these problems using the example of the formation of a stable coating based on photoactive titanium dioxide on a polyester fibrous material. This coating is designed to ensure the destruction of colored organic contaminants under the action of sunlight. We showed that a titanium dioxide-coated polyester fabric can acquire a high photochemical activity and an ability to suppress the activity of gram-negative bacteria while maintaining softness and an ability to "breathe." We also found that the breaking load of the polyester fabric have not decreased after coating on the basis of titanium dioxide. Polyester fabrics with photoactive properties can be widely used as decorative and finishing in interior decoration, the manufacture of curtains and other room details
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