New Advances of the Nanotechnology in Textile Engineering: Functional Finishing with Quantum Dots and Others Nanoparticles

The development of textile materials with functional nanoparticles has been driven by the advancement of materials science, the globalized market, competitiveness and the relentless pursuit of solutions that generate innovations in processes and products environmentally correct. Advancement in the studies with quantum dots and semiconductors nanoparticles applied to the surface modifications such as textile fibers and plastics with the purpose of adding specific properties has been one of the reasons for the growth of nanotechnology applied in the textile industry, mainly in the area of multifunctional finishing. The application of many of these inorganic nanocoatings on textiles allows functionalize so as to improve their performance in a wide variety of uses ranging from technical textiles (geotextiles, medical, microelectronic, solar cells and many others) to the conventional textile, giving them new properties, such as the photoluminescence, antibacterial properties, fungicides, self-cleaning, UV protection, flame retardant, supercapacitors, sensors and controlled drugs release. In the years 50–70 have emerged many patents related to the inorganics material coating on textile fibers for technical applications, but it was only in the early 90 that appeared the first patents and publications with application of quantum dots and others inorganics nanoparticles in coating of optical fibers, glass fibers, cellulosic fibers, wool, silk, non-woven and paper. Various techniques of application of functional coatings have been studied: Chemical techniques (wet finishing) carried out mainly by reactions, depletion and chemicals dispersions: examples: sol-gel, electrodeposition, self-assembly and other; techniques carried out by physical and chemical methods of low environmental impact, examples, ALD, PVD, PECVD, CDV, PLD and others. In this chapter proposed aims to contribute to describe the development of functional and smart textiles using quantum dots and others inorganics nanocoatings. And yet in this chapter intends to describe to new physical and chemical processes of nanocoatings with different semiconductors quantum dots, metals and ceramics nanoparticles (Au, Ag, AgCl, ZnO, TiO₂, SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and others), carbon nanotubes, graphenes, in order to obtain a smart textile material, as well as describe the properties that textiles may have showing their performance and applications.