Effect of Various Shapes of ZnO Nanoparticles on Cotton Fabric via Electrospinning for UV-Blocking

Various shapes of ZnO; multi-petals, rod and spherical were prepared and then applied on cotton fabric for UV-blocking. The ZnO particles were investigated by XRD and SEM. The mixture solution of ZnO with polyvinyl alcohol was applied onto cotton fabrics via electrospinning. The characteristics of the fabric coating were investigated by SEM, XRD, Tensile testing and Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). UV-blocking property was determined by UV-vis spectrophotometer. The results of XRD and SEM on the ZnO powders show that we can produce various shape of ZnO. The investigation by SEM and AAS clearly revealed that ZnO in polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers was effectively deposited on the cotton surface. The sphericals-shaped ZnO coated fabrics show excellent UV-blocking properties. The shape of ZnO shows no considerable effect on the tensile strength of the samples.