Leather finishing is a very important operation in the manufacture of leather, in which a variety of different chemicals are used. The introduction of nano-materials in leather finishing has revolutionized the leather industry, and nanomaterials have been used to produce a variety of different types of leather to meet the diverse needs of consumers. The purpose of this study is to combine leather science and nanotechnology to achieve superior performance with superior characteristics. TiO2 nanoparticles are widely used in many fields, such as antibacterial agents, super-hydrophilic materials, water vapor permeable materials, solar cells, ultraviolet absorbers, catalytic materials, plastics, fibers, controlled release, pigments, thermal insulation materials, coating Layer adhesive, self-cleaning coating, scratch resistant anti-wear material, etc. The use of nanomaterials in leather finishing has a strong durability that helps the leather withstand the test of time.
(1) TiO2 nanoparticles show better adhesion after coating on leather. The improvement in adhesion is due to the fact that the TiO2 nanoparticles used in the finishing formulation promote the reactivity of the binder, other finishing aids and the leather matrix due to the greater specific surface area.
(2) Adhesion is also related to the interfacial force. The polar molecules of the binder are in closer contact with the nano-TiO2 particles, promoting interatomic and intermolecular forces, resulting in better adhesion, strength, and diffusivity.
(3) The very large specific surface area of the nano TiO2 particles contributes to the adsorption of other coating materials and can increase the reaction performance. And the nano-TiO2 particles can enter the gap between the leather fibers to have a strong interaction with the leather fibers to improve the adhesion performance.
(4) The use of TiO2 nanoparticles in the finishing formulation gives the leather better physical properties, good sensory properties (the coating gloss is medium with nano-TiO2, the leather gloss is higher without using TiO2 nanoparticles) and better Chemical properties. Nano-TiO2 provides better hiding performance, filling performance and bonding performance (the best nano-TiO2 dosage is 0.1~2 g/L). Select nanoparticle companies from https://www.hwnanomaterial.com