Revealing nature's beauty through crafting structural color-coated fabrics with bioinspired modification of MXene

In recent years, there has been a notable shift towards the use of structural colors in textile dyeing, replacing traditional chemical dyes. This change is primarily attributed to the increasing popularity of structural colors due to their eco-friendly characteristics. In thus study, SiO₂ particles underwent modification with PDA and Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) to establish a core-shell structure, resulting in MSiO₂/PDA@MXene photonic crystals characterized by electrostatic assembly and hydrogen bonding. These crystals comprise a SiO₂ core encased in black PDA@MXene shells. The PDA@MXene shell works by absorbing scattered light indiscriminately, thereby intensifying the vividness of the structural colors. Adjusting the size of the MSiO₂/PDA@MXene microspheres enables the generation of diverse structural colors. Then, chitosan-coated cotton fabrics were decorated using photonic crystals of MSiO₂/PDA@MXene. Coating cotton fabric with chitosan introduced positively charged groups onto its surface, which enabled electrostatic interaction with photonic crystals. The prepared fabrics also showed excellent antioxidant property, further enhancing their appeal for outdoor applications. These structural colors offer a sustainable substitute for conventional textile dyes, meeting the increasing need for environmentally conscious practices within the textile sector.