Structure and properties of carboxymethyl cotton fabric loaded by reduced graphene oxide

Abstract

Cotton fiber is a natural polysaccharide material with excellent properties, which is widely used in textile industry. However, the poor ultraviolet (UV) protection and electrical conductivity limit its application in other fields. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) loaded carboxymethyl cotton fabrics were prepared by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique. The structure and surface morphology of the fabrics were studied by K/S value, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, the electrical conductivity, thermal properties, light absorption properties and UV protection properties of rGO-loaded carboxymethyl cotton fabrics were also studied. The results indicated that rGO-loaded fabrics possessed excellent electrical conductivity, UV protection properties and high light absorption. In addition, washing durability of rGO-loaded carboxymethyl cotton fabric is very good. This technique provides a simple method for people to prepare multifunctional cotton fabrics.

Keywords: Carboxymethyl cotton fabric; Graphene oxide; LBL self-assembly; Reduced graphene oxide; UV protection.