An effective, low-cost and eco-friendly method for preparing UV resistant silk fabric

Although silk fabric has a good performance in softness, smoothness, permeability, and comfort, its poor UV resistance and easy yellowing seriously influence its appearance and further application. In this study, to improve its UV resistance, the amino group modified nano-SiO2 (SiO2-NH2) was grafted on to the surface of silk fabric through a condensation reaction, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding. The results indicated that the UV resistance property of modified silk fabrics was significantly improved and the UV protection factor (UPF) value could reach up to 60. After 20 times of washing, the UPF value could still maintain about 45. Moreover, the SiO2-NH2 modification did not influence the whiteness of silk fabric and the cell experiment proved that the modified silk fabrics had good compatibility. The method for silk modification in this study is effective, low-cost, and eco-friendly and it further can be applied in industry for large-scale production of UV-resistant silk fabric.