Abstract
Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) atmospheric-pressure plasma was employed to enhance the deposition of commercial microcapsules (MCs) containing Aloe vera extract onto a cotton/polyester (50:50) fabric. DBD conditions were optimized in term of energy dosage and contact angle. The MCs were applied by padding and printing methods and the coatings were characterized in terms of SEM and FTIR. MCs display a spherical shape with size between 2 and 8 μm with an average wall thickness of 0.5 μm. The MCs applied by printing and pretreated with a plasma dosage of 1.6 kW m2 min-1 showed the best results with an increased adhesion of 200% and significant penetration of MCs into the fibres network. Plasma printed fabric retained 230% more MCs than untreated fabric after 10 washing cycles. However, the coating resistance between unwashed and washed samples was only improved by 5%. Considering the fact that no binder or crosslinking agents were used, the DBD plasma-assisted deposition of MCs revealed to be a promising environmental safe and low cost coating technology.
Highlights
The use of active-substances incorporated onto structure or surface of cosmeto-textiles are increasingly used by cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries in order to provide cosmetic effects such as pleasant feeling, energising, slimming, refreshing, vitalising, skin glowing, anti-ageing, body care, fitness and health [1]
The main objective of this study is to investigate the adhesion of MCs containing Aloe vera extract applied by padding and printing methods in a cotton/polyester (50:50) fabric pre-treated with a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma discharge
Plasma treatment The DBD plasma treatment was conducted in a semi-industrial prototype machine (Softal Electronics GmbH/University of Minho) working at RT and atmospheric pressure in air, using a system of metal electrode coated with ceramic and counter electrodes coated with silicon with gap distance of 3 mm and producing the discharge at high voltage 10 kV and low frequency 40 kHz
Summary
The use of active-substances incorporated onto structure or surface of cosmeto-textiles are increasingly used by cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries in order to provide cosmetic effects such as pleasant feeling, energising, slimming, refreshing, vitalising, skin glowing, anti-ageing, body care, fitness and health [1]. Textile manufacturers are demonstrating interest in the application of durable fragrances to textile as well as skin softeners [2]. In this context, microencapsulation technology is a growing area in textile industry [3]. The main disadvantage of using film-forming binders in the application of MCs onto textiles is hindrance of the active substances to be release. To overcome this issue MCs can be covalently linked onto textile substrate by using chemical (e.g. crosslinking reagents) or physical methods (e.g. ultrasound, plasma, microwave) [5].
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