Fabrication of copper and titanium coated textiles for sunlight management

Copper (Cu) and titanium (Ti) films with a thickness of 200 nm are deposited onto cotton and polyester fabrics respectively by magnetron sputtering technology and systematically investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared emissivity measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The physical properties of the coated fabrics that are evaluated include the infrared emissivity, reflection rate, contact angle (CA) and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) value. It is found that the Cu coated fabric samples have an infrared reflection rate of 20-30%, infrared emissivity of about 0.7 and UPF value of 273. The Cu coated fabric samples therefore provide excellent UV radiation protection and good infrared shielding, which make them promising materials for sunlight management textiles.