Surface Functionalisation of Polyester Nonwoven Fabrics by Sputter Coating of Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) functional films were deposited on the surface of polyester nonwoven fabrics at room temperature by direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to study the topographies and chemical compositions of the functional fabric surfaces, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the interfacial microstructures and adhesion between the substrate and TiO₂ coating. The AFM observations indicated that there was a significant difference in the surface morphology of the polyester fibres before and after TiO₂ sputter coating. XPS spectra reflected the chemical features of the deposited TiO₂ nanostructures. The SEM images showed that TiO₂ thin films deposited on the substrate under confirmed processing conditions had unique, fine surfaces and good adhesion to the substrate. It was found that the deposition of TiO₂ on the polyester nonwoven fabrics significantly improved their ultraviolet (UV) absorption and antistatic properties.