Investigating effects of nanoparticles on self-cleaning and abrasion properties in woolen felt (A Case study: titanium dioxide, cerium dioxide and magnesium oxide)

Felt is one of the most unique textiles created without weaving and through braiding. Iran is a pioneer of felt production in the world. Given the intense economic competition in the world, it is important to update and improve this product according to advancements and requirements of the society. One of the defects in the currently used felts is the difficult way of washing self-cleaning to the distortion of its design, pattern and form following washing. Since removing this defect can enhance the productivity of felt, the present article was designed to solve this problem through the use of nanoparticles with a specific concentration. Toward this goal, nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, cerium dioxide and magnesium oxide were selected to create self-cleaning properties and resistance against abrasion in traditional woolen felts. Accordingly, necessary tests were performed on 10 pieces of felt with 4 repetitions. The obtained results showed that felts containing 0.3% titanium dioxide had a 119% increase in self-cleaning and a 53% increase in wear resistance when compared to samples without nanoparticles. This increase was also significant when compared to other nanoparticles at a 5% level.