Effect of Microwave Irradiation on the Physical Properties and Structures of Cotton Fabric

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, chemical structure, surface morphological structure and fine structure of cotton fabric, cotton fabric was treated with microwave irradiation under variety of conditions in terms of the power and the time of microwave treatment. The breaking strength, breaking elongation, and whiteness of the treated cotton fabric in wet state were investigated. The structures of the untreated and treated cotton 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 cotton fabrics were changed with microwave irradiation time and power. The chemical structure and the surface morphological structure did not significantly change. Crystallinity of the treated cotton was changed.