Effect of Microwave Irradiation on the Physical Properties and Structure of Silk Fibre

Abstract

Microwaves are high frequency radio waves which are capable of penetrating many materials and causing heat to be generated in the process. To investigate the effect of microwave irradiation on the physical properties as well as the chemical , surface morphological and fine structure of silk fabric, silk fabric was treated with microwave irradiation under a variety of conditions in terms of the power and time of microwave treatment. The breaking strength, elongation at break, and whiteness of the treated silk fabric in a wet state were investigated. The structures of the untreated and treated silk were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the physical properties of the treated silk fabrics were changed with the microwave irradiation time. The chemical and surface morphological structure as well as the decomposition temperature and crystallinity of the treated silk were changed.