DS0303 -

Design of highly conductive and reflective MEtal top coatings on TEXtile materials – MeTex

Design of highly conductive and reflective metal top coatings on textile materials

A new approach for surface metallization

A new approach for surface metallization with multifunctions

The work therefore consisted in the development of a new approach for the metallization of substrates, in particular flexible such as textile materials, in order to obtain active surfaces.<br />For this, we used the photonic activation and the control of various photonic and chemical parameters in order to act on the coupling of the reactions kinetics and thereby, induce a particular structuration of the nanoparticles in the polymer and to obtain a metal coating with multi properties. The material thus obtained has a modular architecture, which determines its specific properties of use: surface metallization, excellent reflectance (> 90 %), optical/mirror appearance, good electrical conductivity, bioactivity (antibacterial and antifungal), mechanical properties, etc. Shiny or matte metallic coatings, but also silver-, gold- or copper-colored, which can now be deposited on various rigid or flexible surfaces, have been obtained in air and at room temperature and in a few seconds.<br />Today, the photochemical approach is therefore an innovative alternative for the surfaces metallization with a great flexibility in the choice of rigid or flexible surfaces.

The development of multifunctional materials via simple, eco-efficient and industrially viable processes represents a major challenge.
The MeTex project aimed at textile functionalization with a new nanostructured multifunctional metal/polymers material. The innovative nature of the project is based on the originality of the process for developing and assembling nanoparticles in a polymer matrix, namely an «in situ and one-pot« synthesis by a fully photochemical route (photo-polymerization, photo-reduction and photo-structuration of metal nanoparticles).
It also involved laying the foundations for a technology transfer program for the photo-induced synthesis and functionalization process on flexible textiles optimized and suitable for industrial production.
The photo-induced approach could replace traditional inking processes in the future. This original method of photo-induced generation of nano and / or micro-layers on surfaces is now likely to have applications in many fields such as micro or nanoelectronics, smart packaging, the manufacture of household appliances, advanced textiles, or medical instrumentation.

1. Development of a multifunctional silver / polymer material by photochemical means on various rigid or flexible supports (glass, paper, metal, textile, etc.). The obtained multifunctions: surface metallization, very high reflectance, silver mirror optical appearance, good electrical conductivity, bioactivity (antibacterial and antifungal), mechanical properties,… (3 publications published and 3 submitted or in preparation).
2. A photo-induced approach for the synthesis and assembly of nanoparticles@polymer with controlled architectures (2 patents filed).
3. Eco-design and «safe by design« character and the implementation of a process that can be easily transposed to an industrial scale to generate flexible surfaces and multiple properties are major innovations of this project (2 publications published).

The perspectives of this project are numerous and their scope varied. The coating developed on flexible surfaces opens the way of differentto types
of sensors, particularly sought after in the fields of micro and nano-electronics or biomedical. By way of illustration, the feasibility of a capacitive pressure sensor has been demonstrated. This system can therefore be improved in order to integrate into medical devices, for example.

Patents
1. L. Balan EP 3073321 A1 “Metal-polymer composite material” by photochemical approach (2016) PCT/EP2016/056726 et U.S. patent number 10,808,138 [Application Number 15/561,669]
2. L. Balan et M. Zaier EP 17305109.5 « Material having a metal layer and a process for preparing this material» (2018) PCT dépôt le 31 Janvier 2018
Publications
1. Tuning the morphology of silver nanostructures photochemically coated on glass substrates: an effective approach to large-scale functional surfaces (M. Zaier, L. Vidal, S. Hajjar-Garreau, JL. Bubendorff, L. Balan* Nanotechnology, 28, 2017, 105603)
2. Generating highly reflective and conductive metal layers through a light-assisted synthesis and assembling of silver nanoparticles in a polymer matrix (M. Zaier, L. Vidal, S. Hajjar-Garreau, L. Balan* Scientific Report 7, 2017, 12410)
3. Photo-induced design of reflective metallized gold@polymer coatings with tuned architecture (A. Schejn, M. Ott, M. Dabert, L. Vidal, L. Balan* Materials & Design 160, 2018 74-83).
4. Photo-Induced Self-Assembly of Silver Nanoparticles for Rapid Generation of First and Second Surface Mirrors (E Caillosse, M Zaier, M Mezghani, S Hajjar-Garreau, L Vidal, D Lougnot, L. Balan* ACS Applied Nano Materials 3 (7), 2020, 6531-6540)
5. Influence of in situ photo-induced silver nanoparticles on the ageing of acrylate materials (H. Beya Zouari, M. Dabert, L. Asia, P. Wong-Wah-Chung, M. Baba, L. Balan*, Y. Israëli* Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, A: Chemistry, 408, 2020, 113112)

The development and the implementation of multifunctional hybrid materials for coating process applied to flexible textile applications via simple, eco-efficient and sustainable industrial methods is a major issue. In this context, the main objective of the MeTex project is to develop new and scalable synthetic routes to the plating of textile surfaces via a one step and totally photo-induced methodology to prepare new bi-layered metal/metal-polymer multifunctional coating. The top layer will be a continuous metal film (mainly Ag and Cu and next Au) and the base layer a mix of biocompatible polymers with an in-depth gradient of metal nanoparticles MNPs concentration. The spatial control of NPs organization will allow obtaining multifunctional coating: optical (mirror, high reflectivity and brightness) and conductivity (electrical and thermal). The photochemical approach combining photo-grafting, photo-polymerization and photo-induced synthesis and assembling of MNPs will be developed to obtain a one step metallization treatment for general use and professional textile materials.

The main advantages of the process under development are:
- "Eco-design": a solvent-free formulation and a fast process, with low energy consumption, economical and environmental friendly without expensive raw materials and easily transferable to the industry.
- "Safe by design”: MNPs and nanoassembling are synthesized in situ photochemically in the polymer matrix; the process avoids handling MNPs as dry powders (and thus, aggregation that usually takes place during dispersion in a liquid formulation). Moreover, it doesn’t require extra toxic stabilizers or reducing agents.
- Photo-induced control of the three-dimensional (3D) assembly of MNPs and of the polymer matrix for the development of optically, thermo/electrically and biologically active but also sustainable materials.

The photo-polymerization and photo-reduction steps are carried out simultaneously. Controlling both the synthesis and multi-scale organization (nano, micro and macro) of cross-linked organic-inorganic films opens promising prospects for smart textile coatings and this constitutes the key of the MeTex project. The possibility of assembling MNPs in a bi-layer metal/metal-polymer in a one step and in situ photochemical process is clearly a challenge for the synthesis of 3D and for obtaining the multifunctions of the materials: optical (various colors, mirror and high reflectivity aspects), thermo/electrical (conductivity) properties. Due to the presence of metal (silver, copper), the coatings should also exhibit anti-bacterial activity. Moreover, by using an actinic beam with a suitable shaping device, it should be easy to print patterns or to write messages onto textiles. As an extension, the use of metal/metal-polymer materials as substitutes for classical inking processes with much lower metal nanoparticles concentrations than used in the current state-of-the-art will be considered.
With the reflective and conductive properties implanted on textiles, the MeTex project should address several markets and fields of application (metallic pigments, conductive inks or aesthetic metal coatings.
This original procedure to generate nano- and micro-layers of nanomaterials onto a great variety of surfaces should achieve promising developments in various fields, such as micro-nano-electronic, smart packaging, the manufacture of household appliance, advanced textiles or medical instrumentation.

Project coordination

Lavinia Balan (Conditions Extrêmes et Matériaux Haute Température et Irradiation)

The author of this summary is the project coordinator, who is responsible for the content of this summary. The ANR declines any responsibility as for its contents.

Partner

IFTH INSTITUT FRANCAIS DU TEXTILE ET DE L' HABILLEMENT
IS2M CNRS UMR 7361 INSTITUT DE SCIENCE DES MATERIAUX DE MULHOUSE
ICCF CNRS UMR 6296 Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand
Clipso CLIPSO PRODUCTIONS
CNRS - LRGP CNRS - Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés, UMR 7274
CNRS-CEMHTI Conditions Extrêmes et Matériaux Haute Température et Irradiation

Help of the ANR 572,925 euros
Beginning and duration of the scientific project: November 2016 - 48 Months

Useful links

Explorez notre base de projets financés

 

 

ANR makes available its datasets on funded projects, click here to find more.

Sign up for the latest news:
Subscribe to our newsletter