Functionalization of linen/cotton pigment prints using inorganic nano structure materials.

The present work opens up a novel strategy for the development of new multifunctional cellulosic pigment prints. The developed process aims at modifying the solvent-free pigment printing formulations via inclusion of certain inorganic nano materials namely silver (Ag-NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂-NPs) or titanium dioxide (TiO₂-NPs) at 20 g/kg paste followed by screen printing and microwave fixation. The imparted functional properties together with the depth of the obtained prints are governed by the type of nano additives, type of binder and the pigment colorant. The imparted antibacterial and/or UV protection properties to the pigment prints were retained with an acceptable level (>70%) of durability even after 20 washing cycles. The presence of nano materials on the surface of the obtained pigment prints was confirmed using SEM images and EDX spectra.