Screen-Printed Photochromic Textiles through New Inks Based on SiO2@naphthopyran Nanoparticles

Photochromic silica nanoparticles (SiO2@NPT), fabricated through the covalent immobilization of silylated naphthopyrans (NPTs) based on 2H-naphtho­[1,2-b]­pyran (S1, S2) and 3H-naphtho­[2,1-b]­pyran (S3, S4) or through the direct adsorption of the parent naphthopyrans (1, 3) onto silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), were successfully incorporated onto cotton fabrics by a screen-printing process. Two aqueous acrylic- (AC-) and polyurethane- (PU-) based inks were used as dispersing media. All textiles exhibited reversible photochromism under UV and solar irradiation, developing fast responses and intense coloration. The fabrics coated with SiO2@S1 and SiO2@S2 showed rapid color changes and high contrasts (ΔE*ab = 39–52), despite presenting slower bleaching kinetics (2–3 h to fade to the original color), whereas the textiles coated with SiO2@S3 and SiO2@S4 exhibited excellent engagement between coloration and decoloration rates (coloration and fading times of 1 and 2 min, respectively; ΔE*ab = 27–53). The PU-based fabrics showed excellent results during the washing fastness tests, whereas the AC-based textiles evidenced good results only when a protective transfer film was applied over the printed design.