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Pao Yue-kong Library, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk A STUDY OF OPTIMIZING PROCESSES FOR METALLIZED TEXTILE DESIGN APPLICATION GUO RONGHUI Ph.D The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2010 THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF TEXTILES AND CLOTHING A STUDY OF OPTIMIZING PROCESSES FOR METALLIZED TEXTILE DESIGN APPLICATION GUO RONGHUI A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2010 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it reproduces no material previously published or written, nor material that has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowledgement had been made in the text. ________________________________________ (Signed) Guo Ronghui ________________________________________ (Name of student) ABSTRACT Metallized textiles generally have many special properties including heat insulation, anti-static, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, UV radiation screen, anti-bacterial, radar reflectivity, as well as intelligent usage. EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) is one of the important properties of metallized textiles and is closely related to their surface resistance. Based on a comprehensive literature review of electroless plating technology, the thesis presents a systematic investigation to optimize the process of electroless plating with nickel and copper on polyester fabric aiming to achieve functional textiles. The potential prospects of electroless plating in textile applications put forth the objective of this study. The purpose of this research is to find an optimum electroless plating process in order to obtain relatively low surface resistance, and improve functional properties and appearance of nickel-plated and copper-plated polyester fabrics. The work consists of five parts, i.e. (i) to review the performance of metallized textiles and developments of electroless plating on textiles; (ii) to investigate thermodynamics and kinetics of electroless plating on polyester fabric; (iii) to optimize electroless nickel and copper plating processes and conditions; (iv) to investigate the micro-structures and properties of metallized textiles; and (v) to employ optimum electroless plating processes for textile surface modification. There are many parameters affecting electroless plating process, including the I chemical concentration, pH value and bath temperature of the solutions. Thermodynamic investigation reveals that electroless nickel and copper plating on polyester fabric is feasibile. The kinetic models of electroless nickel and copper plating on polyester fabric have been established. The optimum processes of electroless nickel and copper plating on polyester fabric have been developed to achieve lower surface resistance with the aid of full factorial design (FFD) and response surface design (RSM) methods. The results indicate that the NiSO4 concentration and temperature of the bath in the plating process are most important factors influencing surface resistance of electroless nickel-plated polyester fabric. However, NiSO4 concentration and pH of the plating bath are most significant factors affecting electroless copper plating. The nickel/copper multi-layer plated polyester fabric (nickel deposited on the copper- plated polyester fabric) is developed to enhance the anti-corrosive properties of copper-plated polyester fabric. The micro-structures and properties of nickel and copper, and nickel/copper multi-layer plated polyester fabrics have been studied. In the case of electroless nickel plating, the nickel deposit layer becomes more uniform and continuous when prepared at higher NiSO4 concentration (the experimental NiSO4 concentration from 6 g/l to 15 g/l) and higher bath temperature (the experimental bath temperature from 50℃ to 80℃). As for the electroless copper plating, the surface morphology of the copper deposits indicates that the average diameter of the particles is increased with the rise of NiSO4 concentration and pH. II The surface morphology of nickel/copper multi-layer deposits reveals the presence of ultra-fine nodules and the deposits are compact and uniform in size. There is a decrease in surface resistance and an increase in EMI SE with respect to the rise of Ni2+ concentration and bath temperature for electroless nickel plating; and surface resistance decreases and EMI SE increases with the rise of Ni2+ concentration and pH of the plating solution for electroless copper plating on polyester fabric. With the same deposit weight, the EMI SE of nickel/copper-plated fabric is greatly higher than that of the nickel-plated fabric, but slightly lower than that of the copper-plated fabric. However, the anti-corrosive property of nickel/copper-plated fabrics is significantly superior to the copper-plated fabrics, but slightly inferior to the nickel-plated fabric. The overall results suggest that electroless nickel, copper and nickel/copper multi-layer plated polyester fabrics have potential applications as EMI shielding materials. In addition, the electroless nickel/copper-plated polyester fabric increases the corrosion resistance of copper-plated polyester fabric. Design application effects have been explored by the controlling plating conditions. The electroless plating parameters play an important role in the metallized fabric appearance based on their influences on color and texture. This study has developed optimization productions of electroless plating of nickel, copper and nickel/copper multi-layer on polyester fabric in terms of the functional and aesthetic effects. III PUBLICATIONS ARISING FROM THE THESIS Referred Journal Publications 1. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C. W. M. Yuen, M. C. F. Ng, G. H. Zheng，Influence of Nickel Ions for Electroless Ni–P Plating on Polyester Fabric, Journal of Coating Technology and Research (SCI), 2009, In Press. 2. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Microstructure and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness of Electroless Ni–P Plated Polyester Fabric, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (SCI), 2009, 20: 735–740. 3. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Effect of Cu Content on the Properties of Ni-Cu-P Plated Polyester Fabric, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry (SCI), 2009, 39: 907–912. 4. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Surface Characterisation of Electroless Copper-plated Polyester Fibres, Surface Engineering (SCI), 2009, 25 (2): 101-105. 5. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, An Alternative Process for Electroless Copper Plating on Polyester Fabric, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (SCI), 2009, 20: 33–38. 6. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Temperature Dependence of Electroless Ni–P Deposition on Polyester Fabric, Surface Review and Letters (SCI), 2008, 15 (5): 587–593. IV 7. R. H. Guo, S. Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Surface Characterisation of Electroless Silver-plated Polyester Fibres, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, 2007, 11 (3): 48-53. 8. S. Q. Jiang, C. W. M. Yuen, L. Zhang, R. H Guo, and P. S. R. Choi, Characteristics of Silver-plated Silk Fabric with Plasma Pre-treatment, Fibers and Polymers (SCI), 2009, 10 (6): 791-796. 9. S. Q. Jiang, R. H. Guo, Effect of Polyester Fabric through Electroless Ni-P Plating, Fibers and Polymers (SCI), 2008, 9(6): 755-760. 10. S.X. Jiang, W.F. Qin, R.H. Guo, L. Zhang, Surface Functionalization of Nanostructured Silver-coated Polyester Fabric by Magnetron Sputtering, Surface and Coatings Technology, 2010, 204(21-22): 3662-3667. 11. S.Q. Jiang, X.M. Tao, C.W.M. Yuen, C.W. Kan and R.H. Guo, Characterization of Electroless Ni-P Plated Polyester Fabric, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, 2008, 12 (4): 52-60. 12. S. X. Jiang, R. H. Guo, G. H. Zheng, Crystal Structure and Properties of Electroless Silver Plating on Polyester Fabric, Electroplating & Finishing, 2009, 28(7): 22-24 (Chinese). Book Chapters 1. S. Q. Jiang, R. H. Guo, Chapter 5: Modification of textile surfaces by electroless deposition, Surface modification of textiles, edited by Q Wei, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2009, pp. 236-286. V Referred Conference Papers 1. R. H. Guo, S.Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, G.H. Zheng, Influence of Nickel Content on Properties of Electroless Ni-P Plated Polyester Fabric, European Materials Research Society 2009 Spring Meeting, Strasbourg, France, June, 2009. 2. R. H. Guo, S.Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Effect of Ni2+ Concentration in Electroless Copper Plating on Polyester Fabric, 2009 National Conference for Doctoral Candidates, Shanghai, May, 2009. 3. R. H. Guo, S.Q. Jiang, C.W.M. Yuen, M.C.F. Ng, Effect of Ni2+ Concentration in Electroless Copper Plating on Polyester Fabric, International Conference on Fibrous Materials 2009, The Fiber Society 2009 Spring Conference, Shanghai, May, 2009. 4. R. H. Guo, S.Q. Jiang, C.W.M.