Sol-Gel Technology in Textile Finishing: A Complete Technical Guide
Sol-gel technology converts liquid precursors into structured inorganic coatings directly on textile fibers enabling flame retardancy, UV protection, antimicrobial activity, and hydrophobicity in a single processing step. The process relies on hydrolysis and polycondensation of metal alkoxides primarily silicon-based — forming a nanoscale siloxane network that chemically bonds to fiber surfaces. Compared to conventional wet…