Three-in-one: Saturated, UV-protective and anti-bacterial structural colored textiles

Structural color based textiles have attracted significant attention owing to their potential in facilitating environmentally-friendly and durable coloration processes. However, the improvement of color saturation in textiles based on structural color is still under continuous investigation. Additionally, there is a rising demand for textiles featuring specialized functionalities such as anti-bacteria and anti-ultraviolet properties in daily life. In this study, a "three-in-one" amorphous photonic structure (APS) and multi-functional textile design is performed to achieve high structural color saturation, UV protection, and anti-bacteria properties. In this system, poly(styrene-butyl acrylate-methacrylate) (P(St-BA-MAA)) colloidal particles are used as building blocks, black titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used as black dopant, and water-soluble polyurethane (WPU) is used as the binder. The WPU demonstrates a significant capability to enhance the color fastness of APS/TiO2 textiles. The strong absorption of incoherent scattered light by black TiO2 in the visible range plays a crucial role in achieving a highly saturated APS-based textile. In addition, the doped black TiO2 possesses strong UV–visible light absorption and anti-bacterial capabilities, thereby supporting the development of textiles functionalized with UV protection and anti-bacteria. Our proposed simplified approach to fabricating high color saturation and functionalized APS/TiO2 textiles demonstrates significant potential for eco-textile coloring in line with market demands.