Smart Breathable Fabric: N S. S, M J A K. A

Smart Breathable Fabric
NINAD S. SAVE, MANJEET JASSAL*

AND ASHWINI K. AGRAWAL*
Department of Textile Technology
Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi, Hauz Khas
New Delhi 110 016, India
ABSTRACT: Smart breathable cotton fabrics were made using a temperature-

sensitive copolymer – poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-acrylamide :: 27 : 73). The
cotton fabric was coated using an aqueous solution (20 wt%) of the copolymer
containing 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid as a cross-linker (50 mol%) and
sodium hypophosphite (0.5 wt%) as a catalyst, followed by drying (120 C, 5 min)
and curing (200 C, 5 min). The integrity of the cross-linked coatings to the fabric
was observed to be excellent. The coatings after integration to the cotton substrate
retained temperature-sensitive swelling behavior and showed a transition in the
temperature range of 15–40 C. Below 15 C, the coatings swell by 800%
while above 40 C they deswell to a swelling percentage of less than 50% (on the
basis of dry weight). The transition to swelling was completed in about 20 min
while deswelling was quicker in 2–3 min. The response was found to be reversible and
stable to repeated cycles of transition. The coated fabrics showed a temperature-
responsive water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). The WVTR values of the
responsive (copolymer coated) and the nonresponsive (poly(acrylamide) coated)
breathable fabric were measured as a percentage (transmission percentage) of control
uncoated substrate. The transmission percentage at 20% relative humidity for
the copolymer coated fabrics was found to change across the transition temperature
(15–45 C) from 58 to 94% compared to the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabrics which
changed only from 70 to 94%, showing a clear response to changing environmental
temperature.
*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES, Vol. 34, No. 3—January 2005 139

1528-0837/05/03 0139–17 $10.00/0 DOI: 10.1177/1528083705047905
ß 2005 Sage Publications
Downloaded from jit.sagepub.com at WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY on April 2, 2015
140 N. S. SAVE ET AL.
KEY WORDS: smart textile, stimuli-sensitive polymer, water vapor transmission,

breathable coating, poly(acrylamide).
INTRODUCTION
most prevalent in the breathable

H YDROPHOBIC COATINGS ARE
coatings and laminates. The hydrophobic coatings are microporous
having a pore size of 0.1–50 mm, which allow the passage of water vapor
but resist the penetration of liquid water. Fabrics are also coated with
copolymers having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. The
hydrophobic part provides water resistance and facilitates adherence of
the coating to the substrate, while the hydrophilic part allows water vapor
permeability [1–7].
Because of their hydrophobic character, hydrophobic coatings tend
to show lower water vapor transmission values and therefore do not form
the ideal approach for breathability. The fabrics coated with hydrophilic–
hydrophobic copolymers have been able to achieve varied degrees of water
vapor permeation and protection. But, the hydrophobic segments, which are
incorporated in significant proportions to obtain the required durability,
lead to lowering of the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). Ideally,
a highly hydrophilic system may provide highly efficient water vapor
transmission properties. However, such systems are not used, because they
are water soluble and cannot provide a durable coating onto a fabric for
normal wash and wear use.
Poly(acrylamide) is a highly hydrophilic polymer, which can provide good
breathable properties provided it can be chemically integrated onto a fabric.
Recently, we have reported the feasibility of obtaining poly(acrylamide)-
coated cotton fabrics using polycarboxylic acid cross-linkers in the presence
of a catalyst. The cross-linkers were found to form covalent bonds between
amide-side groups and hydroxyl groups of cotton fabric to give highly
durable breathable coatings [8].
The above-mentioned approaches produce breathability designed for a
particular application. These coatings are passive and they do not adapt
to changing environmental conditions such as temperature. A breathable
fabric with a temperature-dependent response may be desirable for
certain specialized applications where high variations of temperature are
encountered over a short period.
One of the approaches may be to use stimuli-sensitive polymer (SSP)
coatings integrated into the fabric structure. However, the main challenge
is to integrate them chemically and still retain the responsive behavior.
This paper is an attempt to apply specially designed SSP copolymer,

Smart Breathable Fabric 141
poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-acrylamide), to a cotton fabric and

produce a temperature-dependent breathability.
EXPERIMENTAL
Preparation of Coated Sample Materials
Scoured and bleached cotton fabric of density 1.34 g m2, with both warp
and weft of linear density 148 dtex and a thread density in plain weave of
60 ends and 28 picks per 10 mm was used in the experiments. The fabric
was used after washing it at a temperature of 60 C with 1 g L1 of nonionic
detergent.
1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic acid (98þ%) (BTCA) was obtained from
Lancaster Synthesis, Morecambe, England. Sodium hypophosphite (98%)
was obtained from GS Chemical Testing Lab & Allied Industries, Mumbai.
Poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-acrylamide) in the
composition of 27 : 73 was synthesized using the method described
elsewhere [9].
Preparation of Coating Solutions
A 20 wt% solution was prepared by vigorously stirring a purified and

dried temperature-sensitive polymer (poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-
acrylamide) :: 27 : 73) in double distilled water for 20 min. This mixture was
left in the refrigerator for 48 h, for deaeration to obtain a highly viscous,
clear homogeneous solution. Similarly, a 4 wt% solution of poly(acrylamide)
was also prepared in distilled water.
Selection of Suitable Cross-linker
Based on our earlier study [10], BTCA was selected as a cross-linker, while
sodium hypophosphite was used as a catalyst. The concentrations of BTCA
were selected based on our earlier studies [8,10]. The cross-linker (BTCA)
concentration was kept at 50 mol%, which was calculated on the basis of
available amide groups in the polymer. The catalyst concentration was
varied between 0.05 and 0.5 wt%.
Coating of Fabrics
The required amount of the cross-linker BTCA and the catalyst (sodium
hypophosphite) were added to the polymer solutions and used for coating

Table 1. Details of samples prepared.
BTCA
conc. (Mol % Weight of
of available BTCA Add-on (%) Wt. loss (%)
amide groups (g 100 g1 Number of (dried
Sample in polymer) of solution) coatings weight) Ist wash IInd wash
Control – – – – – –
SSP50-1 50 4.961 Single 13.36 2.3 Zero
SSP50-2 50 4.961 Double 22.76 11.93 Zero
SSP50-3 50 4.961 Triple 43.21 6.53 Zero
PAM50-3 * 0.9922** Triple 24.00 11.95 Zero
Control: uncoated cotton fabric.

*Cross-linker concentration on molar basis was maintained similar to SSP50-2.
**BTCA concentration on the basis of 4 wt% poly(acrylamide) solution.
on cotton fabric in Ernst-BenzTM coating machine, model: KST-350.

The coating was carried out with a continuous knife-over-blanket arrange-
ment, dried at 120 C for 5 min and cured at 200 C for 5 min in the Ernst-
BenzTM curing chamber, model: KTF-MD-350. Different samples were
made with 1–3 coatings to achieve desirable add-ons and different
concentrations of cross-linker as given in Table 1. For samples obtained
using multiple coatings, the sample was dried subsequent to each coating
and cured only in the end after the final coating was dried. The add-on was
obtained by calculating % change in the weight of the fabric after drying
and curing.
Characterization of Coated Samples
Evaluation of Integrity of Coating
The SSP-coated samples were evaluated for integrity of coatings by

washing them at a temperature of 6 C, with stirring, for 5 h. A second wash
was also given to the fabrics, following the above procedure, to evaluate
any further loss. The samples were oven dried and evaluated for weight loss
after each washing cycle. The samples coated with poly(acrylamide) were
evaluated as per the procedure described earlier [8].
Physical Characteristics of Coated Fabrics
The coated (both SSP copolymer and poly(acrylamide) coated) samples

were also evaluated for coating-evenness, resistance to hydrostatic head,

and air permeability. The coating-evenness was evaluated by cutting and

weighing the dried, conditioned 100 100 mm2 pieces of coated fabric. The
pieces were cut randomly along both the length and width of the fabric. The
control and coated fabrics were evaluated for water resistance to hydrostatic
head using ‘AATCC test method 127–1977’ on a ‘Shirley Hydrostatic-head
Tester.’ The control and coated fabrics were evaluated for air permeability
according to ‘Indian Standards, IS 11056-1984,’ using the ‘Textest FX 3300,
Air-Permeability Tester.’
Transition Properties of Coated Fabrics
The transition properties were evaluated for the SSP-coated fabrics for
transition temperature of swelling and deswelling, kinetics of transition, and
thermoreversiblity. All the samples were washed twice prior to the test.
The transition temperature of the SSP-coated fabric was evaluated by
measuring its swelling percentage (water uptake) with temperature in the
range of 6–80 C. The coated fabric was placed in a water bath at a given
temperature, till the equilibrium was achieved. The swollen coated fabric
was weighed on a microbalance after gently pressing it between two layers of
filter paper. To remove the effect of water absorbed by the substrate fabric,
separate experiments were conducted to estimate the water retained by the
substrate (uncoated control fabric) at different temperatures. The absorbed
water by uncoated fabric was found to be 91% at 6 C and 86% at 80 C.
Several readings were taken to estimate the variation in reading, which came
out to be 2%.
The swelling percentage at any given temperature was taken as:
Wt Wwet fabric Wdry coating

Swelling % ¼ 100
Wdry coating
where, Wt is the weight of the coated fabric at time ‘t,’ here ‘t,’ is at
equilibrium; Wwet fabric is the weight of the wet substrate (uncoated fabric)
at the test temperature; and Wdry coating is the dry weight of coating.
The kinetics of transition was evaluated by immersing the SSP-coated
samples in water at 6 C, and recording the % swelling with time as given
above. Similarly, the deswelling kinetics was obtained, by placing the swollen
coated samples at 80 C and recording the swelling % with respect to time.
The reversibility of the thermal transitions was studied by placing the
coated sample in double distilled water repeatedly at temperatures of 6
and 80 C for five cycles. The samples were placed at each temperature for
30 min. The swelling % was evaluated as presented above.

Evaluation of Water Vapor Permeability
The water vapor permeability of the fabric samples (both coated and
uncoated) was evaluated at different environmental conditions using
the British Standards, BS 7209:1990. The experimentation was carried out
in an Environmental Test Chamber (ETC) fabricated by International
Equipments, Mumbai. The ETC was designed to maintain temperature
with an accuracy of 0.5 C and relative humidity at 1% in a chamber of
dimensions 460 492 606 mm3. Inside the chamber, a turntable of
diameter 402 mm was revolved at a speed of 6 revolutions per minute,
using a microcontroller. Four water-filled cups with mouth surface area of
3000 mm2 were placed toward the periphery of the turntable. The mouths
of the water-filled cups were covered with the test samples. The air gap
between the water surface and the samples was kept at 10 mm. The samples
were secured with adhesive tape. In each experiment, four samples were
evaluated: two SSP copolymer-coated fabrics, one poly(acrylamide)-coated
fabric, and one uncoated control fabric. The experiments were carried out
under different conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Three
temperatures used were 15 C, a temperature below the transition, where the
polymer coating exists in the swollen state, 30 C, a temperature at the center
of the transition, and 45 C, a temperature above the transition, where the
polymer coating exists in a deswollen state. The different relative humidity
conditions were 20, 35, 65, and 95%.
The fabric samples, secured to the beakers, were conditioned for 12 h
at the test parameters, prior to the test. The beakers were weighed at the
start of the test. The samples were tested at a given temperature and relative
humidity for a predetermined time (‘t’ h), and the water vapor transmission
rate (WVTR) was calculated by measuring the loss of water in the beakers
using the following equation:
Weight loss of water in time ‘t ’ 106 24

WVTR ¼ ðg m2 24 h1 Þ
t 3000
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Coating of Cotton Fabric
The add-on percentage obtained for the various coated samples is given
in Table 1. A poly(acrylamide)-coated (nonresponsive) sample was also

prepared with add-on similar to SSP50-2 sample for comparison. This

sample was then used as a benchmark for evaluation of the functionality
imparted by the stimuli-sensitive copolymer.
Coating Evenness
The CV% of coating add-on percentage at randomly selected places on

the coated samples was found to be between 0.7 and 1.4%.
In our previous studies we had found that polycarboxylic acid compounds
such as BTCA and citric acid are appropriate for carrying out cross-linking
between amide side-groups of acrylamide moieties and hydroxyl groups
of cotton. However, BTCA was found to provide superior properties than
citric acid and, therefore, in these experiments BTCA was used as the cross-
linker [7]. In this study the curing time, temperature, and the concentration
of the catalyst have been optimized to obtain a minimum curing time
without occurrence of yellowing. The curing time was found to reduce
from 25 to 5 min, as the temperature was raised from 160 to 200 C. It was
found that the catalyst concentration of 0.5% was necessary to bring about
a well-integrated coating.
Integrity of Coating on Cotton Fabrics
The method used for the evaluation of integrity for poly(acrylamide)

coatings on cotton fabric [8], was not found to be appropriate in the case
of the SSP-coated fabrics. The earlier method used a temperature of 60 C
for carrying out harsh wash. However, the same treatment when given to
the SSP-coated fabric gave a negligible weight loss. This is because the SSP
coatings become insoluble at temperatures above the transition temperature.
It was therefore felt appropriate to redesign the test; using temperatures
lower than the transition temperature. The loss of weight for the SSP
coatings was found to be in the range of 6–14%, for the first wash and
undetectable (indicated as zero) during the subsequent wash (Table 1). No
weight loss in the second wash indicated that the SSP coatings were properly
integrated to the cotton fabric. Weight loss in the first wash may comprise
water soluble catalyst, unreacted BTCA, and uncross-linked polymer.
The use of BTCA as a cross-linker has resulted in better cross-linking
of polymer coatings to the fabric substrate compared to the case when
citric acid was used as the cross-linker. The weight loss percentages of the
various coated samples including that of the poly(acrylamide) using BTCA
were found to be substantially lower than those reported in our earlier study
[8] for poly(acrylamide) using citric acid. This may be due to the fact that the
–OH group in the citric acid structure might hinder the esterification with

the hydroxyl groups of the cellulosic structure [11]. Further, BTCA has four
carboxylic acid groups compared to three in citric acid resulting in higher
efficiency of cross-linking.
Transition Properties
Rate of Transition
It was found that the SSP-coated samples showed a fairly quick response
to swelling and even quicker response to deswelling. Samples SSP50-1 and
SSP50-2 attained their equilibrium values (swelling %) in approximately
5 and 20 min, respectively, while SSP50-3 took a substantially longer time
of about 1440 min (Figure 1).
The significantly longer time taken by SSP50-3 can be explained on the
basis of thicker coatings due to substantially higher add-on (43.21%), as
compared to 22.76 and 13.36% for the double- and single-coated samples.
As swelling and deswelling are diffusion-controlled processes, thicker films
are expected to take a longer time for the transition.
The samples SSP50-1, SSP50-2, and SSP50-3 showed identical swelling
percentages at equilibrium irrespective of their add-on percentage (or
thickness).
1000
SSP50-2
800
SSP50-1
Swelling (%)
600 SSP50-3
400
200
0
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000
Time (minutes)
FIGURE 1. Swelling rate below transition temperature of the SSP-coated fabrics.

900
600
Swelling %
SSP50-3
300
SSP50-2
SSP50-1
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (minutes)
FIGURE 2. Deswelling rate above transition temperature of SSP-coated fabrics.
The deswelling time showed a similar trend to that observed for swelling
time (Figure 2). The samples with higher add-on percentage SSP50-3
took longest to deswell (i.e., 30 min), while SSP50-2 and SSP50-1 showed
complete deswelling within 5 and 1 min, respectively.
Reversibility
Figure 3 shows a repeated swelling–deswelling of SSP50-1, SSP50-2, and

SSP50-3 over five cycles. Samples (SSP50-1 and SSP50-2) show a high
swelling % of around 800 and 750% respectively, while the SSP50-3
sample shows a value of about 450%. This should not be mistaken by the
equilibrium value as this sample shows a very slow rate of swelling and a
final value of 784% in 1440 min. The cycling experiment was carried out
by placing the fabrics for only 30 min and therefore the complete swelling
could not be reached for this sample. The deswelling of all the samples was
nearly complete to about 50%. The results proved that the smart textile
samples had good transition reversibility and can be used in applications
with frequently changing environmental conditions.
Transition Temperature
The response of the SSP-coated samples with respect to temperature is

shown in Figure 4. The transition was found to be broad over a range of

1000
SSP50-1 SSP50-2 SSP50-3

800
Swelling %
600
400
200
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Cycle
FIGURE 3. Cyclability of transition in SSP-coated fabrics.
800
SSP50-1
SSP50-2
600 SSP50-3
Swelling (%)
400
200
0
0 20 40 60 80
o
Temperature ( C)
FIGURE 4. Transition temperature of SSP-coated fabrics.

15–40 C. In comparison, in our earlier studies [10], the films of the same
copolymer cast on glass substrate had resulted in much sharper transition
at around 21 C. The broad transition may be because of the heterogeneous
composition of the structure. Since the cross-linking density between
the polymer chains and the cotton substrate may vary locally in this
composition, the multiplicity in the transition may result in the overall
broad response of the SSP-coated fabric. The occurrence of the above
transition over a broad temperature range is similar to that observed for
grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) on cellulose substrates [12,13]. In
grafted samples, the transition was reported to occur in the temperature
range of 20–40 C, compared to the sharp transition observed in gels of
poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (at 32 C).
Water Permeability
The resistance to penetration by water under pressure was found to be

highest for the triple-coated (SSP50-3) sample and lowest for the single-
coated (SSP50-1) sample for both before and after washing (Table 2). This
is expected because multiple coatings and higher add-ons result in the
formation of defect-free coating. Surprisingly, the SSP-coated fabric showed
significantly lower resistance to water penetration compared to equivalent
poly(acrylamide) coating. Figure 5 shows the electron micrographs of the
SSP-coated fabrics before and after washing. Before washing, the coatings
appear to be continuous with occasional occurrence of small pores (50 mm
diameter). These pores may have appeared during processing due to the
presence of some air bubbles in the coating solution. The above pores may be
responsible for lower values of hydrostatic head observed in these samples.
Upon washing, numerous cracks appear on the coating. These cracks are
long, but with microlevel thickness. Also there appears to be a small increase
in the pore size due to loss of water soluble components. This may be the
Table 2. Hydrostatic resistance of coated fabrics.
Hydrostatic head (mm)
Unwashed Double washed

Sample sample sample
SSP50-1 80 60
SSP50-2 380 300
SSP50-3 740 580
PAM50-3 1280 800

FIGURE 5. Scanning electron micrographs at 50 of the SSP-coated fabrics (a) before
and (b) after washing.
likely reason for further reduction in hydrostatic head values. However,

there is no evidence of removal or separation of polymer coating.
Air Permeability
The air permeability values are given in Table 3. The air permeability
of the coated fabrics was found to be 1–3 orders of magnitude lower than

the uncoated fabric sample. The air permeability of the coated fabric was
found to reduce drastically with increase in the number of coatings or
add-on %. Interestingly, the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabric (PAM50-3) with
add-on similar to SSP50-2 showed a value lower by one order of magnitude.
This difference in air permeability may be attributed to the presence of
pores as mentioned above. On washing the samples, only a small increase
in the air permeability values was observed. This indicates the proper
integration of the SSP layer to the fabric. As expected, air permeability value
could not be detected for the SSP-coated samples with very high add-ons
(SSP50-3). In these samples, the air permeability value did not change even
after washing treatment, indicating continuity of the coated film at a high
add-on %.
Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR)
The WVTR values of the control (uncoated fabric), the poly(acrylamide)-

coated fabric and the SSP-coated fabrics are given in Table 4. The SSP-
coated sample selected for comparison with the poly(acrylamide)-coated
sample had similar add-on % and cross-linker concentration. As expected,
the WVTR values for all the samples were found to increase with the
increase in the temperature and decrease with increase in the relative
humidity of the environment test chamber (ETC).
In our previous study, we had reported that high water vapor
transmission rates are observed when hydrophilic poly(acrylamide) coatings
are used on cotton substrate [7]. These values do not change significantly
between lower and higher add-ons. Therefore, in this study we have
considered only one add-on for both poly(acrylamide) and SSP coatings.
To determine the responsiveness of the SSP-coated sample, the WVTR
values of coated samples at a set of condition (temperature and relative
Table 3. The air permeability values of samples.
Air permeability values at 250 Pa (cm3 cm2 s1)
Sample Unwashed After IInd wash
Control 22.34 –
SSP50-1 7.365 12.346
SSP50-2 0.6943 0.8482
SSP50-3 Beyond Beyond
lower range lower range
of detection of detection
PAM50-3 0.0236 0.0529

humidity) are plotted as a percentage of the WVTR of the control

(uncoated) fabric at the same condition (Figure 6). At 20% relative
humidity and 15 C, the percentage water vapor transmitted through the
SSP-coated fabric was 58% as compared to the 70% obtained for
the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabric. While at a temperature higher than
the transition temperature, 45 C, the percentage water vapor transmitted
was 94% in the SSP-coated fabric as compared to 96% obtained for the
poly(acrylamide)-coated fabric. This shows that a significantly higher
change in transmission occurs in the SSP-coated fabrics compared to the
poly(acrylamide)-coated fabrics, when temperature is changed across the
transition temperature and both the values tend to reach the control sample
values. The results clearly demonstrate that the breathability of the fabric
could be automatically altered with stimulus from the environment. Similar
results were observed when the samples were compared at higher relative
humidities of 30 and 65%. However, the change in water vapor transmission
Table 4. Water vapor transmission of coated and control samples at different

atmospheric conditions.
WVTR (g m2 24 h1)
20% RH 35% RH 65% RH 95% RH
Sample 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C

Control 1174 2600 6391 968 1926 5491 452 1216 4385 47 126 4551
PAM50-3 827 1957 6113 585 1113 5272 364 796 4138 42 93 4068
SSP50-2 681 1288 6007 442 978 4756 290 744 3452 32 97 3981
FIGURE 6. Water vapor transmission for coated fabrics shown as a percentage

of control (uncoated cotton fabric) at 20% relative humidity. (a) SSP50-2 sample
(fabric coated with temperature-responsive polymer) and (b) PAM50-3 sample
(fabric coated with nonresponsive polymer).

values was smaller as the relative humidity of the ETC was increased. This
may be because WVTR values decrease as the relative humidity is increased.
At a relative humidity of 95%, the WVTR values at low temperature are so
small that their relative differences cannot be compared.
The WVTR values of the SSP-coated fabrics tend to approach those
of the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabrics at a temperature higher than the
transition temperature. However, they remain a little lower than the
poly(acrylamide)-coated fabrics. There appear to be two mechanisms by
which water vapor is transmitted across the SSP- and poly(acrylamide)-
coated fabrics. First is through the microcracks present in the coating
and second by the diffusion of water molecules through the hydrophilic
polymer coating. The lower WVTR values of the SSP-coated fabrics may
be attributed to the presence of hydrophobic moieties in the coating. The
diffusion of water molecules largely depends upon their molecular
interaction with the polymer chains [14], which may get adversely affected
with the presence of hydrophobic pendent group, N-tert-butylacrylamide,
in the stimuli-sensitive copolymer.
The SSP-coated fabrics act as a switch to control the transmission of
water vapor. At 15 C, the SSP coating exists in a swollen state by absorb-
ing water from the surroundings. This may result in the closure of the
microcracks. While, at a temperature higher than the transition tempera-
ture, the SSP coating exists in collapsed state, due to the predominance
of hydrophobic interactions, and results in the opening of the microcracks.
Another factor which may affect is the change in diffusion flux, which is
governed by changes in both the diffusion coefficient and diffusion path of
water molecules through the swollen or collapsed coating. As a consequence
of these two factors, the diffusion flux is likely to decrease at a lower
temperature compared to higher temperatures.
CONCLUSIONS
Smart breathable coatings which respond to changes in ambient

temperature were developed using a stimuli-sensitive copolymer. These
breathable coatings were produced by a coating solution of the
SSP copolymer, poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-acrylamide :: 27 : 73), con-
taining 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid as a cross-linker, and sodium
hypophosphite as a catalyst on a cotton fabric. The coatings were dried at
120 C (5 min) followed by curing at 200 C (5 min). Cured SSP coatings were
found to have good integrity on cotton fabrics. A small weight loss in the
range of 7–14% was observed only during the first washing cycle, which was
attributed to loss of additives and water soluble components. The SSP

coatings were found to retain the reversible temperature-sensitive behavior

after the integration. The transition temperature of these SSP coatings was
found to lie in a range between 15 and 40 C. The maximum swelling
percentage reached was about 800%. The rate of transition was found to
be fast and dependent upon the thickness of the coatings. Fabrics showed
reasonably high resistance to water and air permeability. The WVTR values
of the SSP and the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabric were measured as a
percentage of control uncoated substrate. The transmission percentage at
20% relative humidity for the SSP-coated fabrics were found to change
across the transition temperature (15–45 C) from 58 to 94% compared to
the poly(acrylamide)-coated fabric which changed only from 70 to 94%.
The difference in percentage transmission, due to temperature, depicts the
responsive behavior of the SSP-coated fabrics. Similar results were obtained
for other relative humidity conditions. However, the changes were smaller at
higher relative humidity.
This study opens up a new area of application in producing smart fabric
using stimuli-sensitive polymers integrated to textile substrates.
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Smart Breathable Fabric: N S. S, M J A K. A

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Smart Breathable Fabric

NINAD S. SAVE, MANJEET JASSAL*

ABSTRACT: Smart breathable cotton fabrics were made using a temperature-

*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES, Vol. 34, No. 3—January 2005 139

KEY WORDS: smart textile, stimuli-sensitive polymer, water vapor transmission,

most prevalent in the breathable

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poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide-ran-acrylamide), to a cotton fabric and

Preparation of Coated Sample Materials

Preparation of Coating Solutions

A 20 wt% solution was prepared by vigorously stirring a purified and

Selection of Suitable Cross-linker

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Table 1. Details of samples prepared.

Control: uncoated cotton fabric.

on cotton fabric in Ernst-BenzTM coating machine, model: KST-350.

Characterization of Coated Samples

Evaluation of Integrity of Coating

The SSP-coated samples were evaluated for integrity of coatings by

Physical Characteristics of Coated Fabrics

The coated (both SSP copolymer and poly(acrylamide) coated) samples

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and air permeability. The coating-evenness was evaluated by cutting and

Transition Properties of Coated Fabrics

Wt Wwet fabric Wdry coating

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Evaluation of Water Vapor Permeability

Weight loss of water in time ‘t ’ 106 24

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Coating of Cotton Fabric

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prepared with add-on similar to SSP50-2 sample for comparison. This

The CV% of coating add-on percentage at randomly selected places on

Integrity of Coating on Cotton Fabrics

The method used for the evaluation of integrity for poly(acrylamide)

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Figure 3 shows a repeated swelling–deswelling of SSP50-1, SSP50-2, and

The response of the SSP-coated samples with respect to temperature is

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SSP50-1 SSP50-2 SSP50-3

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The resistance to penetration by water under pressure was found to be

Table 2. Hydrostatic resistance of coated fabrics.

Hydrostatic head (mm)

Unwashed Double washed

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likely reason for further reduction in hydrostatic head values. However,

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Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR)

The WVTR values of the control (uncoated fabric), the poly(acrylamide)-

Table 3. The air permeability values of samples.

Air permeability values at 250 Pa (cm3 cm2 s1)

Sample Unwashed After IInd wash

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humidity) are plotted as a percentage of the WVTR of the control

Table 4. Water vapor transmission of coated and control samples at different

WVTR (g m2 24 h1)

Sample 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C 15 C 30 C 45 C