CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF FIR EMITTING CERAMIC NANOPARTICLE EMBEDDED FILMS

Far-infrared (FIR) ray emitting textiles are claimed to be functional textiles improving health and well-being. FIR ray emitting textiles are derived from traditional fibers by incorporation of ceramic nanofillers with appropriate electromagnetic absorption and emission properties. The purpose of this research is to analyze the thermographic effects of ceramic nanofiller based polyurethane films and characterize their physical properties. Water-based polyurethane binder was separately incorporated with Aluminum Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide, and Silicon Carbide to make a thin layer of film by Sonication technique. Different intense of IR-emissive layer was found with different concentration of ceramic nanofiller into the films. Reflection and transmission at the FIR range were measured with an integrating sphere by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. Thermal properties of films were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the thermophysical properties are strongly dependent on the nature of nanofillers. In addition, physical properties like tensile strength and contact angle were also measured to evaluate the feasibility of the films towards thermal comfort.