This paper presents a technology for applying copper and silver films to cotton fabrics by combining photochemical and chemical methods for the reduction of the compounds of these metals. The resulting metal-containing films have inherent electrical conductivity of metals. All the main processes described in the work were carried out by means of the compounds being sorbed by the surface of the fabric when they were wetted in appropriate solutions. The aim of the work was to study the application of electrically conductive composite copper films on cotton fabrics. The tasks to achieve this aim were to perform scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis to confirm that as a result of the experiment, CuCl with a semiconductor ability was formed on the surface of the sample. The driving force behind the photochemical reduction of copper and silver halides on cotton surfaces is that, as a result of the photooxidation of cellulose molecules in the fabric, copper monochloride is first formed on the cotton surface. Subsequently, the process of obtaining silver particles based on semiconductor silver chloride obtained as a result of the transformation of copper monochloride was carried out. The physicochemical and photochemical processes leading to the formation of monovalent copper chloride, which provides sufficient adhesion to the substrate, are considered. It is shown that in this case, the oxidation of monovalent copper also occurs with the formation of soluble salts that are easily removed by washing. Since the proposed technology does not require special equipment, and the chemical reagents used are not scarce, it can be used to apply bactericidal silver films to various household items and medical applications in ordinary laundries or at home. This article examines an affordable and simple technology for producing metal films on a cotton surface due to the presence of disadvantages (time duration, high temperature, scarce reagents, special installations, etc.) of a number of well-known methods in the production of chemical coatings.

The work was devoted to the development of technology for applying metal coatings to the surface of polypropylene products. At the same time, the main stages of the technology were carried out using the influence of electromagnetic waves of light radiation. So, to obtain an electrically conductive silver layer, after mechanical treatment, etching and activation, the polymer was immersed for several minutes in a solution containing 10–20 g/L of silver nitrate and equivalent amounts of ascorbic acid, and a thin layer of solution was obtained on the surface of the polymer. A sample with such a sorption film was exposed to electromagnetic waves of light radiation at a flux density of 700–1100 W/m². The small thickness of the sorption film facilitated the penetration of these waves directly onto the polymer surface and ensured the photochemical process of silver reduction with the formation of active centers. At the same time, electromagnetic waves acting on ascorbic acid transferred it to an excited state. As a result, the chemical reduction of silver in the space between the active centers became possible. In this case, the film obtained within 15–20 min had the necessary electrical conductivity. The suitability of these films for galvanic metallization of the polymer surface was shown.