Comparative Studies of Polypropylene Nonwoven Sputtered with ITO and AZO

In this study, the polypropylene (PP) spunbonded nonwoven materials were used as substrates for depositing transparent nanostructures on the fiber surfaces. Magnetron sputter coating technique was used to deposit tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films onto the nonwoven substrates. The structures and properties of the deposited ITO and AZO films were investigated and compared using atomic force microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and electrical and optical tests. The observations by atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of functional nanostructures on the fiber surfaces. EDX analyses confirmed the deposition of ITO and AZO functional films on the PP fibers. It was found that ITO had more compact structures on the fiber surface than AZO under the same sputtering conditions. The transmittance analysis revealed that the nonwoven substrates deposited with nanostructural AZO showed better ultraviolet shielding effect than those coated with ITO in the same thickness. The nonwoven materials coated with ITO had lower electrical resistance than those coated with AZO in the same thickness. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 114: 1813-1819, 2009