Facile dip-coating process towards multifunctional nonwovens: Robust noise reduction, abrasion resistance and antistatic electricity

In this study, a multifunctional hybrid coating consisting of waterborne polyurethane (WPU), graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was deposited onto the surface of nonwoven fabrics via a dip-coating approach. The results of noise reduction indicated that the acoustic transmission loss of control nonwoven fabrics increased from 3.87 dB to higher than 18 dB after WPU and graphite modification. Moreover, the prepared nonwoven fabrics could withstand more than 2000 times the abrasion against grinding wheels, which significantly improved in comparison with control nonwoven fabrics. The surface resistance of modified nonwoven fabrics decreased approximately seven orders of magnitudes, which exhibited robust antistatic properties. Therefore, it can be concluded that the facile dip-coating method has potential for noise reduction simultaneously with abrasion resistance and antistatic electricity applications.