Nonwoven materials have been increasingly used in many industries. The surface properties of nonwoven materials are of importance in these applications. In this study, functional nonwoven materials were prepared by sputtering deposition of copper (Cu), zinc oxide (ZnO), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the surface of polypropylene (PP) fibers. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) were employed to study the surface morphology and chemical compositions. The observations by AFM revealed the formation of functional nanostructures on the fibre surfaces and the ESEM examination confirmed the formation of functional compositions on the fiber surface. The metallic coating of Cu significantly improved the surface conductivity of the material. The transmittance analysis indicated that the ZnO coating obviously increased the ultra-violet absorption of the material. The surface hydrophobicity of the nonwoven material was enhanced by the sputter coating of PTFE. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.