One-Pot Fabrication Cellulose/Silica Composite Microcapsules and Their Application in Cotton Fabrics

Research on multi-functional fabrics is an inevitable trend in the future development of textile field. Nevertheless, the key to the development of multifunctional fabric is how to solve the problem of contradictory function combination and how to achieve the multifunctions. In this work, a novel multifunctional fabric based on cellulose/silica microcapsules was developed by using green, facile and economical methods. Owing to the loaded essence and hydrophobic coupling reagent and UV absorber modified silica of microcapsules, the coated fabric not only exhibited slow-release property of fragrance, but also had excellent superhydrophobicity and ultraviolet (UV) protection. Furthermore, multifunctional fabric also displayed the durable superhydrophobicity and UV protection even after chemically or mechanically damaged. The development of mulfunctional fabrics largely depends on the development of textile functional finishing agent and finishing technology. Therefore, it is very important to develop new functional micrcapsules or finishing agent.

Flame Retardancy and Thermal Behavior of Wool Fabric Treated with a Phosphorus-Containing Polycarboxylic Acid

The compound 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA) is an eco-friendly water treatment agent possessing flame-retardant phosphorus element and multi-carboxylic acid groups in its molecular structure. In the present work, PBTCA is employed as a finishing agent to improve the flame retardancy of the wool fabrics by the pad-dry-cure technique. The treated wool (10.2% weight gain) by 100 g/L of PBTCA showed an increased flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index value (LOI) of 44% with a minimum char length of 40 mm. Importantly, the treated wool can self-extinguish after 30 washing cycles. The PBTCA-treated wool exhibited better stability with obviously increased char residue of 39.7% and 28.7% at 600 °C, while only 25.9% and 13.2% were measured for the control wool in nitrogen and air atmosphere, respectively. In addition, the high thermal stability of the treated wool with astonishing char-forming ability is confirmed by the SEM images of the wool after the isothermal heating treatment at different temperatures. Finally, a two-stage flame-retarding mechanism of enhanced crosslinking and char formability of PBTCA-treated wool is proposed and analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) and thermal (DSC and TGA) results of the pyrolytic volatiles of the treated wool.

Relationship between Anti-Wrinkle Property of Cotton Fabrics and Crosslinking Properties of Glycosyl Polyaldehydes and Polyuronic Acids Finishing Agents: A Molecular Simulation Study

In this paper, monosaccharide (glucose and fructose), disaccharide (sucrose and trehalose), trisaccharide (raffinose) and tetrasaccharide (stachyose) were selected as the research objects and the glycosyl polyaldehydes and glycosyl polyuronic acid anti-wrinkle finishing agents were prepared via selective oxidation. The anti-wrinkle properties of their finished fabrics were analyzed, the molecular radius, the number of reactive groups, the number of reaction sites and the number of rotatable bonds of the finishing agent were calculated to evaluate its diffusion rate and crosslinking characteristics inside the cellulose. Through molecular simulation, the number of possible conformations of the anti-wrinkle finishing agent with the single cross-linked state was calculated, and the distance between different cross-linking points was measured, and the relationship between the effective cross-linking radius and the anti-wrinkle performance was studied. The results showed that trehalose polyaldehydes, raffinose polyaldehydes, trehalose polyuronic acid, and raffinose polyuronic acid finished fabrics had an excellent anti-wrinkle property, the strength retention rates of the fabrics were all above 68%, and the whiteness index was above 70. The smaller the molecular radius was, the easier the finishing agent was to diffuse into the cellulose. The most suitable crosslinking radius of glycosyl finishing agent was 3.5–6.0 Å.

Nanomaterial Antibacterial Technology in the Design of Antibacterial Fabrics for Sports Clothing

In recent years, nanomaterials have been widely used in sports equipment, and their application in sportswear has also attracted wide attention. This research mainly discusses the application of nanomaterial antibacterial technology in the design of antibacterial fabrics for sports apparel. The method of adding nano-TiO2 to the antibacterial textiles varies with the type of fiber or fabric, and the finishing method also changes accordingly. For chemical fibers, the method of blending spinning is mainly used. By adding nano-antibacterial particles in the spinning solution, the polymer is ejected from the spinneret to make antibacterial fibers. This processing method is characterized by good antibacterial durability. The preparation of antimite finishing agent is mainly the dispersion of nanopowder. The selection of the best dispersant is mainly determined by measuring the change of the volume sedimentation rate of TiO2 after 5 days under different dosage and pH value of each dispersant. Then, the particle size of nano-TiO2 and Ag in different dispersing conditions was tested by TEM, and finally, the best dispersing agent and dispersing process were determined. The optimum of nano-antimite and antibacterial finishing agent is as follows: the dispersing agent is TW-80, the amount of anhydrous ethanol in dispersing medium is 5 times that of powder, the amount of dispersing agent is 1.5 times that of powder, the pH value is 7, and the stirring time is not less than 30 min. In the preparation of nano-antimite and antibacterial finishing agent, nanomaterials were used. The weight of nano-TiO2 powder was 20 grams and that of Ag was 20 grams. The dispersion medium (absolute ethanol) was 100 mL of dispersant. The amount of TW-80 was 30 g, the amount of citric acid was 60 g, the emulsion was very stable, and there was only a small amount of precipitation after being static for 5 days. Considering the characteristics of silk knitted fabric, this experiment uses the exhaustion method in the finishing process to finish the silk knitted fabric. After 50 times of washing, the antibacterial rate of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli reached 95.13% and 87.44%, respectively. This study provides guidance for the application of nanomaterials in the antibacterial field of sports clothing.

Preparation and Application of Fluorine-Free Finishing Agent with Excellent Water Repellency for Cotton Fabric

Water repellent is an important functional finish for cotton fabric. However, cotton fabrics often have poor washing resistance and other performances after actual finishing. In this study, based on the structural characteristics of cotton fiber and durability of water repellent, a cross-linked amino long-chain alkyl polysiloxane (CAHPS) was first prepared, and then reacted with modified silica. Finally, a chemically bonded organic–inorganic nanohybrid cross-linked polysiloxane (rSiO2-CAHPS) was fabricated. Furthermore, the rSiO2-CAHPS was emulsified to obtain a durable fluorine-free water repellent. The water repellent finishing for cotton fabric was carried out by the pad–dry–cure process. After finishing, the cotton fabric had good resistance to conventional liquids and excellent washing resistance, and still maintained good water repellency after 30 rounds of soaping. Moreover, properties including air permeability, mechanical property and whiteness are hardly affected after finishing. SEM and XPS characterization show that a layer of dense silicon film is formed on the surface of cotton fabric by rSiO2-CAHPS water repellent. The existence of nanosilica can improve the surface roughness of cotton fibers. The synergistic effect of fiber matrix, nanoparticles and CAHPS endows the fabric with a micro/nano-multi-scale micro-rough structure, which improves the water repellency of cotton fabric after water repellent finishing.

The development of a tannin-based after-treatment for cotton fabric dyed with sulphur dyes

Purpose Sulphur dyes provide an inexpensive medium to dye cellulosic fibres with heavy shade depths. They offer moderate to good fastness to light and wet treatments. However, owing to the environmental hazard produced by the use of sodium sulphide, the practical implication of these dyes is steadily decreasing. Moreover, these dyes are prone to oxidation causing pronounced fading on exposure to laundering. This paper aims to present the green processing of sulphur dyes by using a biodegradable reducing agent in place of sodium sulphide to dye cotton fabrics. The study also proposes after-treatments with tannin to improve the fastness properties of the dyeings. Design/methodology/approach In this study, dyeings were produced on cotton fabric with a range of C.I. Leuco Sulphur dyes, which were reduced with sodium sulphide and glucose. Sulphur dyeings were after-treated with an environment-friendly tannin-based product (Bayprotect CL (BP)); subsequently, the after-treated samples were evaluated for colour strength, wash, light and rubbing fastness. Findings A novel after-treatment method was developed, which substantially improved the wash fastness of C.I. Leuco Sulphur Black 1 dyeing to ISO 105 C06/C09 washing. However, the degree of this improvement varied for the other sulphur dyes used. The surface morphology and the possible mechanisms for the improved fastness properties were also discussed. Research limitations/implications The effect of after-treatment was significant for improving the wash fastness of sulphur black dyeings in particular, while the effect on other colours was minor. Significant improvements were observed for light and wet rub fastness for most of the dyeings, which signifies the importance of tannins as a finishing agent. Practical implications It is observed that the tannin-based product, BP, is found to provide the photoprotective effect by improving the lightfastness of the dyeings. Future research may involve the exploration of various tannins as a finishing agent to sulphur dyeings. Originality/value This novel finishing technique is found significant for improving the wash fastness of sulphur black 1 dyeings for both the reducing systems. Improvements were also observed for light and wet rub fastnesses for most of the dyeings.

New Method to Evaluate the Crosslinking Degree of Resin Finishing Agent with Cellulose Using Kjeldahl Method and Arrhenius Formula

In anti-wrinkle finishing, the crosslinking degree of fabric is mainly determined by wrinkle recovery angle, stiffness, and viscosity, these indicators can only reflect the finishing effect from a macro perspective, which cannot reflect whether the crosslinking is sufficient, and it is difficult to quantify the crosslinking degree. In this paper, we combined the Kjeldahl method with the Arrhenius formula and proposed a method to analyze the crosslinking degree of dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (two-dimensional (2D) resin) with cotton cellulose during delayed-cure finishing for the first time. The nitrogen content of completed fabrics during storage was measured by the Kjeldahl method, and the reaction rate equation of the 2D resin and cellulose under normal temperature conditions was calculated. The results show that the nitrogen content is more suitable to indicate the crosslinking degree, and the apparent activation energy was 28.271 kJ/mol and the pre-finger factor was 0.622, which indicated that the 2D resin was prone to cross-linking with cotton fabrics during storage. During long-term storage, the relative errors between the calculated and measured values of the nitrogen content were within ±5%, and the accuracy was higher than the traditional evaluation method. The stability of 2D resins during the storage of delayed-curing finishing was also analyzed through this method.

Properties analysis of crosslinked chitosan microcapsules by multiple emulsification method

Chemical based finishing agents often affect human body and environment. Therefore, in this study, eco-friendly microcapsules were manufactured to minimize the use of chemicals by using chitosan, a natural substance, as a wall material and basil oil as a core material. First, the optimum manufacturing conditions were established through the shape and size of the synthesized microcapsules. Second, the synthesis and thermal stability of the prepared microcapsules were evaluated. Finally, the applicability to functional fiber processing was reviewed by measuring the release characteristics of the microcapsules. Consequently, using 2 wt% chitosan, Triton X-100 as a emulsifier and stirring at 6000 rpm were considered to be efficient in terms of capsule formation. FT-IR spectrum and Gas Chromatograph showed that microcapsules were stably synthesized. And microcapsule containing basil oil was given heat resistance by encapsulation. Lastly, microcapsules can be confirmed to have sustained-release, due to basil oil in microcapsules has a small amount of release up to 10 h, and is continuously released until after 60 h to release slowly, As a result, the manufactured microcapsules finishing agent may be applied to finishing of textile product.