Photonic-Crystal-Printed Fabrics with Wash Resistance Properties for Color Stability Based on Hot Press Printing of ZnS Nanoparticles

Photonic crystals (PCs), which are micro nanostructured materials periodically arranged from media with different refractive indices, have attracted great interest in textile coloring over the past decades. However, the washing resistance of PC-based fabrics cannot meet the requirements of daily washing, which limits the application of PCs in coloring. Therefore, it is particularly important to further improve the washing resistance of PC-based fabrics. Herein, high-refractive index zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were spray-coated on polyethylene films with patterns to construct PC-based fabrics by hot press printing. The excellent toughness of polyethylene was utilized to improve the washing resistance of fabrics. The influence of the hot press process, the color control method of PCs, and the washing and friction resistance of fabrics were systematically studied. Generally, the wash resistance of the obtained fabric did not fade after 24 times of laundered washing. The results of this work will benefit the application of PCs in textile coloring, sensors, and so on.