A Study on the Influence of Natural Agents on the Absorption Properties of Cotton Fabrics – Part Two

Abstract

Abstract Increased worldwide competition in textiles has given opportunities to researchers and industries to work toward new challenges in product development. This research work aims to investigate how the herbal extract-treated cotton fabrics were made with a focus on the absorption properties. The treated fabric samples were analyzed for their static absorption (%), immersion time (s), surface water absorption (mL), and vertical wicking height (cm). The mangosteen dyed cotton fabrics with specifications of 140 g/m2 and the plain weave with 40 % dyed concentration and untreated cotton fabrics had static water absorptions of 320 % and 328 %, immersion times of 1.68 s and 1.65 sec, surface water absorptions of 17 ml and 18.1 ml, and vertical wicking heights of 4 cm and 4.9 cm, respectively. Water repellency properties had slight changes for treated terry fabrics say 220 and 240 GSM with rating ‘50’ in adjacent to the untreated fabric sample with rating ‘0’. Water repellency results indicated that there was no characteristic change in the water response property (i.e., water absorption) of herbal extract-treated samples. Mangosteen and orange extracts-treated cotton fabrics of 140 and 240 g/m2 with a 30 % dye concentration showed better water absorption properties in comparison to the other herbal extract dyed samples.