Antibacterial, UV protection, flame retardancy and coloration properties of cotton fabrics coated with polyacrylate polymer containing various iron ores

Incorporation of iron ores as additive in coating polymers to improve certain properties of textile surfaces has recently attracted increasing interest due to their low cost, distinctive characteristic properties, availability, and easy application. On the other hand, the mechanical and multifunctional effects of these ores on textile surfaces after their application via coating have not widely been investigated. In this study, pastes prepared from polyacrylate-based polymers containing iron ores like Hematite, Goethite, and the mixture of Goethite/Limonite/Hematite with different concentrations were coated on the cotton fabric by knife-over-roll method. Subsequently, the antibacterial, UV protection, flame retardancy, and coloration properties together with mechanical properties of the samples were investigated. The characterization of coated textile surfaces was examined by SEM and FT-IR analyses. The mineral contents and mean particle size values of iron ores were also determined with X-ray fluorescence spectrometers with particle size analyzer. It was concluded that cotton fabrics with multifunctional properties such as flame retardancy, UV protection, and antibacterial properties as well as natural coloration could be obtained via iron ore coating along with an abrasion resistance improvement when compared with the untreated cotton fabric.