Water repellency and warmth retention finishes for polyester fabrics based on hybrid materials comprising zirconia, silica, and thiazole dyes prepared via sol-gel synthesis

A series of hybrid materials composed of zirconia, silica, and thiazole dyes were synthesized from zirconium npropoxide (ZNP) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) using heteroaryl 2-amino-thiazole azo dyes, and prepared via the sol-gel process. The heterocyclic 2-amino-thiazole azo dyes underwent a hydrolysis-condensation reaction with an appropriate proportion of ZNP under a catalyst, using a constant ratio of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) and TEOS. The structures of these hybrid materials composed of zirconia/silica/thiazole dyes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The surface morphologies of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images demonstrated the uniform dyeing of the PET fabrics, which confirmed the reaction of the hybrid materials with the PET fabrics. The water contact angle, washing fastness, color uniformity, and warmth retention of the PET fabrics dyed with the hybrid materials composed of the zirconia/silica/thiazole dyes were evaluated. The evaluation results indicated that these fabrics offered enhanced warmth retention properties and good water repellency.