关键词: 碳纳米管, 丝网印刷, 网格状涂层, 抗静电织物, 光热性能

Abstract:

Objective Synthetic fiber fabrics such as polyester and nylon are prone to severe static electricity issues. A comprehensive review of the current literature on fabric antistatic research and an understanding of commercially available antistatic materials reveals that the most effective method to combat static electricity is to enhance the electrical conductivity of the fibers or fabrics using materials with excellent conductive properties, thereby rapidly eliminating static electricity through leakage. The mainstream preparation techniques involve applying conductive materials to the fiber or fabric surface through methods such as padding, coating, and sputtering. However, these methods are associated with complex operations, high costs, and low material utilization rates. Therefore, this study aims to explore an efficient and cost-effective preparation process for antistatic composite fabrics.

Method The preparation process of antistatic composite fabrics in this research was divided into two parts. In the first part, commercially available carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersion and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) were used to prepare antistatic paste through simple stirring and thickening. The process parameters of the paste were then optimized using the response surface methodology. Subsequently, precision screen printing meshes with various mesh structures were designed using AutoCAD software and applied to the fabric surface via simple screen printing, resulting in mesh-printed printed coated fabrics.

Results The optimization of the paste making process using the response surface methodology took into consideration of the amounts of thickener (PTF), slow dryer (TPM), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as influencing factors, with the goal of minimizing the resistance of the coated fabric. The optimal preparation condition for the paste was determined to be PTF (0.63%), TPM (2.5%), and CNTs (1.35%). The surface resistivity of the coated fabric prepared with these parameters was as low as 4.5×10⁴ Ω, close to the theoretical value, indicating the practical application value of the response surface methodology. The study designed and prepared square, circular, and triangular mesh-print coated fabrics and evaluated their antistatic performance. The surface resistances of the square, circular, and triangular mesh-print coated fabrics were 2.12×10⁵ Ω, 2.87×10⁵ Ω, and 3.12×10⁵ Ω, respectively. The test results also showed that the electric charge density fell within the range of 2.5-2.8 μC/cm², and the static half period test was between 3.5-4.2. Comparison with the antistatic test results of the overall coated fabric revealed that the mesh coated fabrics were able to achieve a very similar antistatic level, and the area of the mesh-print coating was only 50% of the entire fabric. The mesh-print coated fabric was subjected to wear performance tests, including simulating 25 home washes, sandpaper abrasion, and immersion in acidic and alkaline solutions with pH value ranged from 1 to 14, and the mesh-print coated fabric demonstrated excellent stability in antistatic performance. The mesh-print coated fabrics were also evaluated for photothermal response. Under the irradiation of a xenon lamp simulating sunlight, the coated surface temperature reached up to 72.5 ℃, showing excellent stability.

Conclusion The antistatic performance of the mesh-print coated fabrics designed and prepared in this study was comparable to that of the commerically coated fabrics, with a 50% reduction in the amount of coating paste used, which reduces production costs and improves material utilization. However, a comprehensive understanding of the mesh-print coated fabrics requires a systematic study to investigate the impact of parameters such as mesh shape design, mesh printing area, and mesh width on antistatic performance to design the optimal mesh coating scheme.

Key words: carbon nanotube, screen printing, mesh coating, antistatic fabric, photothermal property