The Photothermal Conversion and UV Resistance of Silk Fabrics Being Achieved through Surface Modification with C@SiO₂...

With the improvement in people's living standards, the development and application of smart textiles are receiving increasing attention. In this study, a carbon nanosurface was successfully coated with a SiO₂ layer to form C@SiO₂ nanomaterials, which improved the dispersion of carbon nanomaterials in an aqueous solution and enhanced the absorption of light by the carbon nanoparticles. C@SiO₂ nanoparticles were coupled on the surface of silk fabric with the silane coupling agent KH570 to form C@SiO₂ nanosilk fabric. The silk fabric that was subjected to such surface modification was endowed with a special photothermal function. The results obtained with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that C@SiO₂ nanoparticles were successfully modified on the surface of the silk fabric. In addition, under the irradiation of near-infrared light with a power of 20 W and a wavelength of 808 nm, the C@SiO₂ nanosilk fabric experienced rapid warming from 23 °C to 60 °C within 30 s. After subjecting the functional fabric to hundreds of photothermal experiments and multiple washes, the photothermal efficiency remained largely unchanged and proved to be durable and stable. In addition, the thermogravimetric (TG) analysis results showed that the C@SiO₂ nanoparticles contributed to the thermal stability of the silk fabric. The UV transmittance results indicated that C@SiO₂ nanofabric is UV-resistant. The silk modification method developed in this study is low-cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly. It has some prospects for future applications in the textile industry.