Sustainable metallising textile production developed in Hong Kong POLYU

By Q.X.Peng

Dr. Kinor Jiang， Associate Professor in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University as well as a Textile and Fashion Design Expert， has been working to develop a green coating process for textiles since 2007. He has achieved research breakthroughs on non-aqueous metallised textile design system for textile industrialisation and the applications in fashion. The novel design approach has opened a new route to improve textile functional properties and enhance fabric aesthetics.

The design concept is born in the background that the increasing marketing demands for high quality textiles and garments. The concept originality lies in its integration of coating deposition technology with different metals， such as Cu， Ag， Ti and stainless steel， to produce metallic textile products. Then， the design concept develops based on the vacuum coating technology and a stenciling way. The stencil-plate film is a key element of the technology， which the film runs simultaneously with the fabric to create patterns on it. Through the approach， the textiles are integrated with sophisticated pattern effects and added value to products.

With a multi-layer structure， the coated materials have advantages in water repellence， anti-bacteria， radiation protection， and good permeability. Additionally， the coated materials handle and texture are greatly improved in comparison with the laminated metallic fabrics.

The physical coating technique is an environmental-friendly vapor deposition method. No chemical materials or water used in the production process， therefore it is regarded as a sustainable textile design approach without discharging any polluted water or injurant.

Dr. Jiangs research team includes both researchers in physics and chemistry and designers of textile and fashion. By applying the developed technical design approach， the potential benefits of metallised textile and fashion design have been proved. The coated textiles have metallic colours， which their appearances could change in different lights and shadows. The employment of this new approach confers textile manufacturers with new business opportunities and marketing benefits. The treated textiles are in accordance with international specifications and have potential for industrial applications such as metallic coating for fashion， accessories and luxurious furnishing.

Many textile experts， designers and academics have visited the research laboratory and taken a look of the developed textiles. They gave highly appreciation to the research achievements and commented that the research direction would be with great potential and might change the revolution of dyeing technology.

The research is supported in part by the Innovation & Technology Fund in Hong Kong government and sponsored by Olly Hwa （Hong Kong） Limited， Union Wise Technology Limited， Vast Team Limited， Kaiping Xindi Dyeing Mill Co.， Ltd.， Royal Success （Asia） Limited， and TAL Apparel Limited， which is managed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel.