6371.1:
Improving the Customer Perception of Textiles by Tailoring Nanoparticle-Substrate Interactions
Abstract
The aim of this project is to improve the customer perception of textiles by controlled deposition of nanoparticles containing an active substance on the textile fibers. The task is to efficiently deposit activated particles in the conditioning cycle of the laundering process. Inactive particles, which are eventually present from a previous treatment, should be removed during the washing cycle, where the fabric is to be properly preconditioned for the later particle deposition step. This task will be achieved by tuning the interactions of well-defined nanoparticles with solid substrates (e.g., cellulose, nylon) by modifying the deposition and release characteristics through surface modification and by choosing proper combination of additives (i.e., surfactants and polyelectrolytes). In order to tune the interactions in the desired manner, novel experimental techniques will be employed to probe the particle-surface interactions on the nanometer scale. The synthesis of the ”active” nanoparticles and the particular ingredients will represent the proprietary part of the project.