USE OF NANOSPONGES FOR N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) FUNCTIONALIZATION OF TEXTILES

N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), a well known insect repellent, has been complexed in β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD)-based nanosponges (NS). Then, the complexed nanosponges have been dispersed in an acrylic resin and, eventually, polyester fabrics have been treated with the functionalized resin. Several NS synthesis have been carried out by cross linking β-Cyclodextrin with carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI). After characterization of the inclusion complexes, CDI nanosponges (CDI-NS) were selected for fabric functionalization. In particular, two types of CDI-NS were considered: those in which DEET have been complexed during the nanosponge synthesis and those in which DEET has been post-loaded after nanosponge synthesis. After dispersion of the CDI-NS in an acrylic resin bath, the polyester fabrics have been finished by means of pad-dry-cure and exhaustion methods.