Metallic coloration with Cu/CuO coating on polypropylene nonwoven fabric via a physical vapor deposition method and its multifunctional properties

A single-layer film of copper and/or copper oxide was deposited on a polypropylene nonwoven fabric substrate to prepare multifunctional textiles with a metallic color appearance. The pristine uncoated nonwoven fabric was gray, the copper film-coated fabric was orange-red, and the copper oxide film-coated fabrics were dark red and dark green. With the increase of flowing oxygen, the Cu content of the film decreased and changed into Cu2O, after which it gradually changed to CuO. The color lightened as the color brightness increased, while the K/S value decreased as the CuO content increased. The hydrophobicity of the copper oxide film-coated samples slightly increased while the ultraviolet (UV) protection performance (UPF) was overall reduced as the oxygen flowing rate increased and the film thickness decreased. The copper film-coated sample exhibited momentary electrostatic attenuation, but the electrostatic elimination ability of the copper oxide film-coated samples decreased owing to the conversion of elemental Cu to Cu2O and then CuO.

Automated summary

A single-layer film of copper and/or copper oxide was deposited on a polypropylene nonwoven fabric substrate to prepare multifunctional textiles with a metallic color appearance. The color lightened as the Cu content decreased and transitioned into CuO, while the UV protection performance decreased with increasing oxygen flow rate and decreasing film thickness. The hydrophobicity increased slightly with the copper oxide film-coated samples, and electrostatic elimination ability decreased due to the conversion of elemental Cu to Cu2O and CuO.