ABSTRACT
Chemical treatments are extensively used in textile finishing procedures to improve different properties of natural and synthetic fibers. Sol-gel chemistry is based on hydrolysis and condensation of metal alkoxides or between hydrated metal species. Indeed, many silicon alkoxides are insoluble in water and the alkoxide ratio/ water is often adjusted to limit hydrolysis. The development of innovative technologies can introduce new functionalities to textiles without modifying their appearance, thus introducing barrier properties for many application fields such as antibacterial and mosquito-repellent textiles. The economic impact that mosquitos cause is really high, so much so that the development of efficient repellents is of huge importance, especially if they are of natural origin and harmless to human health. The high volatility and uncontrollable delivery of these oils can be solved through the sol-gel technique, which can control their release.
