Abstract
Hydrophobic and antibacterial functionalization of cellulosic fabric(cotton) were performed via a simple immersion process with two natural polymers: zein and rosin. Compared to zein-treated cotton fabric, the water contact angle (WCA) value of cotton fabric treated with zein-rosin complex increased from 119.62 ± 3.11° to 133.14 ± 2.5° and the water resistance was long-lasting. The micromorphology, roughness and chemical composition for the surface of different cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that a rougher surface from zein was obtained with the addition of rosin, which contributed to the hydrophobic property of the fabric. In addition, the results showed that the functional cotton fabrics exhibited good antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus and the bacterial inhibition rates were 92.2 % and 87.2 %, respectively. The functional fabrics retained their mechanical properties, air permeability and water vapor permeability.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
