Antibacterial Finishing of Linen Fabrics by Combination with Nano-Aluminum Oxide and Crosslinking Agent

Abstract

Linen is an important natural fiber in cellulosic structure and different chemical processes can be applied on the linen based textile materials. In this study, a concept constituted of different finishing processes was presented. Crease recovery and meanwhile anti-bacterial properties were carried out simultaneously. For crease recovery; modified glyoxylic resin containing catalyst and for gaining antibacterial efficiency; nano-aluminum oxide were used in combination. Then, the amount of the nano-aluminum oxide in the recipe was analyzed in terms of crease resistance efficiencies, and anti-bacterial efficiencies against two different bacteria E. coli and S. aureus. It was observed that the addition of the nano-aluminum oxide to the recipe of the crease resistant process has a positive effect on the wrinkle recovery performances. Moreover, above the concentration of 103 ppm nano-aluminum oxide in the recipe, the anti-bacterial activity against S. aureus was started to occur. However if the concentration become to 5×104 ppm, both in E. coli and S. aureus bacteria solution a significant bacterial reduction appeared. Moreover the durability of the obtained features was tested and it was observed that the obtained features were durable for the 5 cycle of washings as well.