Comfort and microbial barrier properties of garments worn next to the skin

Abstract

Compared with viscose fibre, modal fibre is characterized by some advantageous properties such as higher dry and wet tenacities, higher wet modulus, lower water retention capacity and lower level of swelling. Impact of different knitted fabric structure made of cotton and 97 % CMD/3 % EL fibres on thermo-physiological comfort and microbial barrier properties were investigated. All knitted fabrics have very good physiological properties. The microbial barrier permeability of knitted fabric after extreme contamination with bacterial spores in dry state showed that double jersey offered more effective microbial barrier than the single jersey knitted fabrics respectively the greater thickness of double jersey knitted fabric provide more difficult barrier to bacterial spores to pass. In wet state all knitted fabrics have more effective microbial barrier which could be explained by cellulose fibres swelling. In wet state 97 % CMD/3 % EL single jersey knitted fabric have more effective microbial barrier then cotton double and single jersey knitted fabrics.