Comparative studies of functional nanostructures sputtered on polypropylene nonwovens

Functional nanocomposite nonwoven materials were prepared by surface coating with copper and silver using magnetron sputter coating. The composite nonwoven materials with metallic nanostructures were analyzed and compared by means of atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and electrical and optical tests. The observations by atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of functional nanostructures on the fibre surfaces. It was found that copper had more compact structures on the fiber surface than silver under the same sputtering conditions. The transmittance analysis showed that the nonwoven substrates deposited with nanostructural copper showed better ultraviolet and visible light absorption than those coated with silver. The functional nonwoven materials coated with silver had lower electrical resistance than those coated with copper.