Photoresponsive textiles are gaining increasing attention for their potential in health monitoring, resource conservation, and comfort-related applications. Unlike electronic smart textiles, they deliver responsive functions without circuitry, offering prospects of simpler fabrication and reduced environmental impact. This thesis investigates the potential of such non-electronic photoresponsive textiles through two case studies and a critical assessment of the field from a broader perspective.

The first part introduces hackmanite-coated textiles as ultraviolet (UV)-monitoring tools. For the first time, hackmanite was successfully deposited onto fabric using a safe and simple coating method. The resulting textiles displayed a strong UV-induced color change from white to purple, with a response threshold closely matching the erythemal action spectrum of human skin. This feature enabled accurate monitoring of UV index (UVI) values below 3, the level at which protective measures are recommended to prevent early sunburn. Furthermore, the fabric exhibited exceptional fatigue resistance, maintaining stable coloration over at least 20 photochromic cycles, confirming its potential as a reliable UV-sensing material.

The second part focuses on ZnO-coated photocatalytic textiles and the influence of synthesis parameters on their self-cleaning and UV-blocking performance. A systematic study of nine parameters identified conditions yielding flower-like ZnO morphologies with superior photocatalytic activity. The refined coatings exhibited nearly complete UV blocking and effective self-cleaning, achieving 73 % methylene blue (MB) degradation within 1 h and 90 % after 24 h of solar exposure, as well as 32 % removal of coffee stains after 1 h and 82 % after 24 h.

The final part presents a critical review of 130 peer-reviewed studies on photoresponsive non-electronic textiles, revealing significant gaps between laboratory demonstrations and real-world applicability. A key issue was that these textiles were frequently tested under high-intensity, single-wavelength light sources that are rarely achievable in everyday indoor or outdoor environments. As a result, many proposed applications remain unverified in their intended settings, and the suggested benefits claimed under such idealized conditions were often overly optimistic. Some health-related uses, such as UV monitoring and self-disinfecting fabrics, appear promising. However, in most cases, further research and life-cycle studies are required to evaluate usability under intended lighting conditions and to validate sustainability claims.