Knitted Cotton Research Articles

Biofunctional Textiles: Antioxidant and Antibacterial Finishings of Cotton with Propolis and Honey.

The growing activity in the textile industry has been demanding the search for new and innovative technologies to meet consumers' needs regarding more sustainable and ecological processes, with functionality receiving more attention. Bee products are known for their wide spectra of properties, including antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Propolis and honey are the most popular and used since ancient times for the most diverse applications due to their health benefits. With the increasing need for safer and more sustainable practices, the use of natural products for the functional finishing process can be a suitable alternative due to their safety and eco-friendly nature. For that, a biosolution, composed of a mixture of propolis and honey in water, was used to perform the functional finishing of cotton knits, both in the presence and in the absence of potassium alum as a chemical mordant. The fastness strength was also evaluated after three washing cycles. The antioxidant potential of the biosolution, assessed with the in vitro ABTS scavenging assay, provided textiles with the capacity to reduce more than 90% of the ABTS radical, regardless of the mordant presence and even after three washing cycles. Furthermore, biofunctional textiles decreased the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Propionibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, and, particularly, Staphylococcus aureus cultures after 24 h of incubation with an increase in antibacterial activity when potassium alum was used. These findings show that bee products are promising and effective alternatives to be used in the textile industry to confer antioxidant and antibacterial properties to cotton textiles, thereby enhancing human health.

Effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic treatments on bloodstain patterns of drip stains on knitted cotton and polyester fabrics

ABSTRACT Textiles are one of the most frequently collected items at crime scenes. Even so, the mechanisms that create bloodstains on textiles are not well understood. This is likely due to the wide range of textiles and the many surface treatments given to them to enhance their performance. In this study, the final appearance of 50 μl passive drip stains on four in-house knitted apparel textiles (scoured cotton, hydrophobic cotton, hydrophilic polyester and hydrophobic polyester) was investigated. The yarns used to make the knits were 167 dTex polyester filament and 342 dTex cotton staple yarns. They were knitted on the same knitting machine under nominally identical conditions. The area of bloodstains on the scoured cotton knit fabrics was 46 mm2 and 30 mm2 on the hydrophobic cotton. i.e. the stains on the hydrophilic cotton were 50% larger than on the hydrophobic cotton. The bloodstains on hydrophobic polyester were only 15.6 mm2, but were 242 mm2 on hydrophilic polyester, i.e. 15 times larger. The stain areas on the polyester were both smaller (hydrophobic finish) and larger (hydrophilic finish) than on the cotton fabrics. It is shown that these typical chemical treatments play a much more important role on bloodstain areas than fibre type or fabric construction.

Effect Of Stitch Length and Yarn Count on Knitted Cotton Fabric with And Without Lycra

Effect Of Stitch Length and Yarn Count on Knitted Cotton Fabric with And Without Lycra

The pectinolytic activity of Burkholderia cepacia and its application in the bioscouring of cotton knit fabric

BackgroundEnzymatic catalysis in different industrial applications is often preferred over chemical methods due to various advantages, such as higher specificity, greater efficiency, and less environmental footprint. Pectinases are a group of enzymes that catalyze the degradation of pectic compounds, the key components of plant middle lamella and the primary cell wall. Pectinases have found applications in multiple industrial processes, including cotton bioscouring, fruit juice extraction and its clarification, plant fiber degumming, paper making, plant biomass liquefaction, and saccharification, among others. The purpose of this study was to taxonomically characterize a bacterial species exhibiting pectinolytic activities and assess its pectinolytic activity qualitatively and quantitatively, as well as test its bioscouring potential. ResultsHere, we report that Burkholderia cepacia, a previously unknown species with pectinolytic activity, exerts such activity comparable to commercially used pectinase enzymes in the textile industry, but requires less temperature for activity. ConclusionQuantitative evaluation of enzyme activity indicates the potential of the bacterial species for use in the bioscouring of cotton knit fabric.

Melt Spinning Process Optimization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Fiber Structure and Properties from Tetron Cotton Knitted Fabric.

Polyester/cotton fabrics with different proportions of Tetron Cotton, TC (35% Cotton/65% PET), and Chief Value Cotton, CVC (60% Cotton/40% PET), were investigated by removing the cotton component under various phosphoric acidic conditions including the use of cellulase enzymes. The remaining polyethylene terephthalate (PET) component was spun using the melt spinning method. Only 85% H3PO4-Enz_TC could be spun into consistent filament fibers. The effects of Acid-Enz TC (obtained from a powder preparation of 85% H3PO4-Enz_TC) at different weight amounts (1, 2, 5, and 10 %wt) blending with WF-rPET powder prepared by white recycled polyester fabric were evaluated for fiber spinnability at different winding speeds of 1000 and 1500 m/min. The results revealed that recycled PET fiber spun by adding Acid-Enz_TC up to 10 %wt gave uniformly distributed filament fibers. A comparative study of the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties also investigated the relationship between the effect of Acid-Enz_TC and the structure of the obtained fibers. Acid-Enz_TC:WF-rPET (5:95) was the optimal ratio. The thermal values were analyzed by DSC and TGA and crystallinity was analyzed by XRD, with mechanical strength closed to 100% WF-rPET. The FTIR analysis of the functional groups showed the removal of cotton from the blended fabrics. Other factors such as the Acid-Enz_TC component in WF-rPET, extraction conditions, purity, thermal, chemical, and exposure experiences also affected the formability and properties of recycled PET made from non-single-component raw materials. This study advanced the understanding of recycling PET from TC fabrics by strategically removing cotton from polyester-cotton blends and then recycling using controlled conditions and processes via the melt spinning method.

Filtration efficiency and breathability of selected face masks

Face masks have been used as physical barriers to stop respiratory infections for many years. Due to insufficient and low supply of certified masks, alternative face covers such as face shields, neck gaiters, and fabric reusable masks gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for these alternate face masks to fulfill their intended function, they must be effective. Additionally, the level of breathability provided by the makeshift masks must be at a certain level. The work reported in this paper was carried out to determine the relationship between filtration efficiency (FE), breathability, and important physical characteristics of mask substrates. The fiber diameter of the core filter layer was determined using a scanning electron microscope. Five types of face masks (two types of N95, two types of surgical masks, and a 100% knitted cotton fabric) were tested for their FE and breathability using moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR). The cotton knitted mask had the lowest FE (5.10%–26.47%), while the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified N95 mask had the highest FE values (92.10%–99.65%). However, the cotton mask outperformed the N95 in terms of the pressure drop, meaning higher comfort. In general, the N95 face mask provided the best protection against aerosolized particles. According to the regression analysis, the fiber diameter of the mask filter substrate serves as an important predictor of FE of mask substrates. In this study, it was confirmed that fiber diameter is inversely related to the filtration ability. Results show that compact structure with finer fibers will enable higher filtration efficiency. The study lends itself to developing layered face masks to obtain optimum filters with good filtration, better fit, and acceptable comfort for the wearer.

Study on a cationic agent-based salt-free reactive dyeing process for cotton knit fabric and comparison with a traditional dyeing process

Since the majority of reactive dyes only have a moderate affinity for cotton, significant amounts of electrolytes are frequently needed to cause tiredness. As a result, wastewater contains significant amounts of salt and dye, and the increasing salinity of the rivers has an effect on the delicate biochemistry of aquatic life. The aim of the study was to find a sustainable dyeing process for cotton knit fabric using EPTMAC (2, 3-epoxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) as a cationic agent and comparison of the cationic dyeing process (salt free dyeing) with the regular dyeing process (dyeing with salt). For this purpose, cotton knit fabric samples were dyed with reactive dyes following salt free process and with salt. Afterwards, color fastness (wash and rubbing), spectrophotometric evaluation, bursting strength test, analysis of dye bath discharge water and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the dyed samples were carried out. Moreover, water consumption was also evaluated for the both cationic and regular dyeing process. In terms of color fastness, cationized dyed fabric showed no change to a slight loss in depth (rating of 4–5) for both wash and rubbing fastness. From the spectrophotometric evaluation, it was found that cationized dyed fabric appeared darker and less yellowish tone. Moreover, in case of bursting strength, cationized black, hot pink, and light pink colored fabrics possessed bursting strengths of 287 kPa, 337 kPa, and 440 kPa, correspondingly. After analysis of dye bath discharge water, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value of regular colored water samples were 45%, 39%, 54% greater than that of cationized dyed water samples respectively. Cationized dyed water value for Dissolved Oxygen (DO) was 6.39 mg/l, which was within the acceptable limit. The SEM image asserted that the cationized colored samples had consistent dye dispersion, greater adhesion, and no dye anomalies. Considering water consumption, it was found that 37%, 27% and 23% less amount of water required for dyeing dark, medium and light shade of cationized samples due to fewer washes after dyeing and elimination of fixing steps. In addition of that, total cost of cationic dyeing process was less due to less chemical consumption, less utility use, shorter process time and less amount of dyes needed. Cationic dyeing process is a sustainable practice of dyeing cotton fabric with reactive dyes that offers numerous advantages when compared to the regular dyeing process with less cost consumption and low amount of environmental pollution.

Digital fabrics for online shopping and fashion design

Improving the digital presentation of fabrics enhances the online shopping experience and, in turn, reduces textile waste. In this study, we examined how the manipulation of simple surface reflectance models can bias the perception of fabric properties simulated online in a web browser. We showed that motion and three-dimensional (3D) folds (i.e., rumple) influence the perception of sheen for different fabric types (cotton knit and satin). Also, we found complex interactions between these parameters in their effects on perceived sheen and perceived color saturation. Moreover, we showed that changing the level of specular roughness significantly influences visual perception of sheen, color and lightness, which in turn, can categorically alter perceptual judgments of material type. In contrast to visual attributes, specular roughness did not influence visually perceived tactile characteristics of digital fabrics (thickness and stretch). The knowledge gained about perceptual biases of digital fabrics from this study will inform future considerations for optimizing the fidelity of textiles depicted in digital commerce.

On the experimental investigation of silicone-based soft composites under mode I loading using Digital Image Correlation

There is a growing interest in understanding the mechanical behavior of fibrous soft biological materials under several loading conditions. Due to difficulties in manipulating and testing these materials, synthetic composites have already been employed in literature. In this work, a fiber-reinforced soft composite was manufactured and tested to extract its mechanical behavior at two different fiber orientations under mode I loading. The domain J-integral was evaluated by means of DIC using a pure shear (planar) configuration. The coefficients of the fourth-order strain energy function proposed by Luo and Chou were adjusted to describe the mechanical behavior of the considered soft composite and its isolated components (i.e., pure silicone rubber and extensible cotton knit fabric) under tensile loading. The values of the J-integral were validated using a classical formulation for homogeneous rubber-like materials. For the soft composite with fibers oriented at θ0=90°, in which the fiber contribution was not considerable, a satisfactory matching was found between J-integral and classical results in the absence of fiber reinforcement (homogeneous materials), resulting in approximately 13.67% of mean relative error. In fact, the J-integral obtained by DIC and the fourth-order hyperelastic strain energy function can be employed to estimate the energy release rate of fiber-reinforced soft composites.

A Patterned Knitted Fabric with Reversible Gating Stability for Dynamic Moisture Management of Human Body

AbstractDeveloping dynamic moisture management of textiles is of great significance for smart clothing. However, the current pore‐actuated fabric suffers from macro‐dimensional deformation in response. Moreover, the fabric is limited in its ability to control the direction and speed of sweat transfer. Herein, a patterned cotton fabric (PCF) is proposed by constructing thermal‐triggered transmission channels on the knitted hydrophobic cotton. The resultant fabric can switch the mode of channels spontaneously depending on ambient temperature. When PCF is exposed to the cold environment, the channels are “closed”, which prevents the intrusion of rainwater, reducing moisture permeability (12.1% lower than cotton) and maintaining human body temperature (0.8 °C higher than cotton). When the weather gets hot, channels are “open”, allowing for efficient transportation of water vapor (18.0% higher than cotton) and directional sweat transportation. This design allows adaptive water vapor gating to synergistically occur with directional liquid transport, maximizing personal warming (when cold and raining) and cooling (when hot and sweating).

Impact of Different Modern Chemical Finishing on Cotton Knitted Fabrics Dyed with Anthraquinone Vat Dye

Impact of Different Modern Chemical Finishing on Cotton Knitted Fabrics Dyed with Anthraquinone Vat Dye

Two-dimensional carbon material incorporated and PDMS-coated conductive textile yarns for strain sensing

AbstractIn recent years, innovative technology based upon conductive textile yarns has undergone rapid growth. Nanocomposite-based wearable strain sensors hold great promise for a variety of applications, but specifically for human body motion detection. However, improving the sensitivity of these strain sensors while maintaining their durability remains a challenge in this arena. In the present investigation, polydopamine-treated and two-dimensional nanostructured material, e.g., reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-coated conductive cotton and polyester yarns, was encapsulated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to develop robustly wash durable and mechanically stable conductive textile yarns. Flexibility and extensibility of all textile yarns of every stage were analyzed using texture analysis. The chemical interactions essential for measuring coating performance among all components were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy. The rGO-coated cotton and polyester yarns exhibited an extensibility of 11.77 and 73.59%, respectively. PDMS-coated conductive cotton and polyester yarns also showed an electrical resistance of 12.22 and 20.33 kΩ, respectively, after 10 washing cycles. The PDMS coating layer acted as a physical barrier against impairment of conductivity during washing. Finally, the mechanically stable and flexible conductive textile yarns were integrated into a knitted cotton glove and armband to create a highly stretchable and flexible textile-based strain sensor for measuring finger and elbow movement. Truly wearable garments able to record proprioceptive maps are critical for further developing this field of application.

Enhancing Functionalization of Health Care Textiles with Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Hydroxyapatite Composites.

Hospitals and nursing home wards are areas prone to the propagation of infections and are of particular concern regarding the spreading of dangerous viruses and multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB). MDRB infections comprise approximately 20% of cases in hospitals and nursing homes. Healthcare textiles, such as blankets, are ubiquitous in hospitals and nursing home wards and may be easily shared between patients/users without an adequate pre-cleaning process. Therefore, functionalizing these textiles with antimicrobial properties may considerably reduce the microbial load and prevent the propagation of infections, including MDRB. Blankets are mainly comprised of knitted cotton (CO), polyester (PES), and cotton-polyester (CO-PES). These fabrics were functionalized with novel gold-hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (AuNPs-HAp) that possess antimicrobial properties, due to the presence of the AuNPs' amine and carboxyl groups, and low propensity to display toxicity. For optimal functionalization of the knitted fabrics, two pre-treatments, four different surfactants, and two incorporation processes were evaluated. Furthermore, exhaustion parameters (time and temperature) were subjected to a design of experiments (DoE) optimization. The concentration of AuNPs-HAp in the fabrics and their washing fastness were critical factors assessed through color difference (ΔE). The best performing knitted fabric was half bleached CO, functionalized using a surfactant combination of Imerol® Jet-B (surfactant A) and Luprintol® Emulsifier PE New (surfactant D) through exhaustion at 70 °C for 10 min. This knitted CO displayed antibacterial properties even after 20 washing cycles, showing its potential to be used in comfort textiles within healthcare environments.

Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus): A Green Colorant for Cotton Fabric

The textile industry has been exploring sustainable chemicals and natural alternatives to replace harmful and carcinogenic substances used in different stages of textile production for dyeing textiles. Natural dyes are gaining popularity, as they are environmentally friendly and less harmful. Betacyanin, a type of pigment obtained from red pitahaya, commonly known as red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus), has peels that are available as agricultural waste and can be used to meet the demand for natural dye production. This study aimed to explore and utilize dragon fruit’s peel as a natural colorant for dyeing 100% cotton knit fabric (scoured and bleached single jersey plain knit) of 170 g/m2, which could transform a low-value material into a valuable product. However, cotton’s phenolic nature and oxidation process result in negative charges on its surface, making natural dyeing challenging. Cationization with cationic agents (ForCat NCH, a mixture of cationic polyamine and 1,3,dichlori-2-propanol) and mordanting (potassium alum or potassium aluminum sulfate) were carried to improve dye exhaustion and enhance colorfastness properties. Spectrophotometer 800 was used to measure color strength (K/S), and several fastness tests, including wash, perspiration, and rubbing were conducted to assess the final product’s performance. The process parameters, such as temperatures, times, pH levels, and dye concentrations were varied to understand better the optimum conditions.

Highly Reversibly Stretchable and Elastically Wearable Textile Supercapacitor.

Rapid and full recovery is the major challenge for the commercialization and further growth of textile-based wearable supercapacitors. Herein, reversibly stretchable and rapidly reboundable textile supercapacitors (TSCs) are developed via the utilization of NiCu2Se3/Cu-Ni alloy-plated cotton cloth (CNAPCC) textile as the cathode and Fe2CuSe3/CNAPCC textile as the anode. Both NiCu2Se3/CNAPCC and Fe2CuSe3/CNAPCC are obtained by a simple in situ oxidation reaction, followed by an ion exchange strategy. Meanwhile, a stable double-network (DN) structure is constructed, covering the knitted cotton cloth (KCC) and Cu-Ni alloy-plated layer (CNAPL). The DN textile structure significantly endows the NiCu2Se3/CNAPCC stretchable electrode with superior mechanical properties, exhibiting high elongation at a break of 470% with a stress of 7.19 MPa and full recovery after 100% strain with almost no residual deformation left after merely 0.2 s. Moreover, the assembled TSC provides a large energy density of 82 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 750 W kg-1. Besides, 50,000 charge/discharge cycle tests under static stretching are performed. The supercapacitor exhibits rapid recovery and excellent cycling stability of 92.2% capacitance retention under different strains (from 0 to 200%).

Eco-friendly scouring of cotton knit fabrics with enzyme and soapnut: An alternative to conventional NaOH and synthetic surfactant based scouring

Eye-catching, aesthetic fashions often suppress its untold dark story of unsustainable processing including hazardous wet treatment. Considering the risks imposed by conventional cotton scouring and following the trend of scouring with enzymes, this study was undertaken to evaluate the bioscouring of cotton knit fabric involving saponin-enriched soapnut as a natural surfactant, applied from a bath requiring a few chemicals and gentle processing conditions, contributing to the eco-friendliness. The proposed application was compared to synthetic detergent engaged enzymatic scouring as well as the classic scouring with Sodium hydroxide. A cellulolytic pectate lyase enzyme (0.5%–0.8% o.w.f) was applied at 55 °C for 60 min at pH 5–5.5 with varying surfactant concentrations. A low concentration of soapnut extract (1 g/L to 2 g/L) was found sufficient to assist in the removal of non-cellulosic impurities from the cotton fabric after bioscouring with 0.5% o.w.f. enzyme, leading to good hydrophilicity indicated by an average wetting time of 4.86 s at the expense of 3.1%–3.8% weight loss. The scoured fabrics were further dyed with 1% o.w.f. reactive dye to observe the dyeing performance. The treated samples were characterized in terms of weight loss, wettability, bursting strength, whiteness index, and color value. The proposed application confronted level dyeing and the ratings for color fastness to washing and rubbing were 4–5 for all of the samples scoured enzymatically with soapnut. The study was also statistically analyzed and concluded.

Moisture management properties and drying behaviour of knitted fabrics for inner layer applications

The present research work is focused on moisture management properties and drying behaviour of various knitted fabrics for inner layer application. Nineteen knitted samples have been prepared by changing the blend percentage of wool/acrylic, number of filaments in polypropylene yarn and structure of knitted fabric. Yarns of different blend ratio of wool/acrylic fibre are used to knit fabrics of different structure. Polypropylene yarns having different number of filaments are also used to knit samples of different structure. These fabrics are tested for moisture management properties and drying behaviour. Wetting time, absorption rate, spreading speed, wetting radius, accumulative one-way transport index (AOWTI), overall moisture management capacity (OMMC), drying time and drying rate of the fabrics have been studied. It is observed that the overall performance of polypropylene knitted fabric and cotton knitted fabric are better as compared to the wool/acrylic having same structural parameters. The OMMC index of polypropylene plain knit, pile knit and cotton knit fabric is found as 0.70, 0.60 and 0.75 respectively. The polypropylene and cotton knitted fabrics shows better results than others in terms of the parameters, like maximum wetting radius, AOWTI, etc. Polypropylene knitted pile structure fabric shows minimum drying time (0.228 h) and zero residual moisture after wash at 90 min under standard conditions. So, it is found that the higher wool content in fabrics gives better moisture management and drying behaviour. Polypropylene fabrics having high number of filaments in the constituent yarn show better moisture management and drying behaviour than the wool/acrylic fabrics. Moisture management and drying behaviour of pile fabrics are better than the plain and rib fabrics.

Energy Model for Describing the Viscoelastic Behavior of Knitted Cotton Fabric During Relaxation

Energy Model for Describing the Viscoelastic Behavior of Knitted Cotton Fabric During Relaxation

Evaluation of the Stripping Performance of Monochlorotriazine/Vinyl Sulphone Reactive Dyes with a Reductive Stripping Agent

The wet processing industry experiences various problems, such as the faulty and uneven shade of dyeing, colour patch formation on the surface of dyed fabric, etc. during the dyeing and subsequent processing of textile materials. Stripping is considered a process that helps to reuse faulty dyed fabrics by minimizing dyeing faults. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of stripping agents and the quality of stripped cotton knit fabrics that were coloured using bi-functional (monochlorotriazine/vinyl sulphone) reactive dyes. First, the trichromatic combination of Drimarene Yellow CL2R, Drimarene Red CL5B and Drimarene Blue HFRL dyes was used to dye fabrics in two different shade percentages, namely light shade (0.3% owf) and dark shade (3.0% owf). Consequently, stripping was carried out using varying concentrations of stripping chemicals (hydrose (Na2S2O4) and caustic soda (NaOH)) and process temperatures. Stripped fabrics were assessed after measuring the weight loss percentage, strength loss percentage, whiteness index and stripping efficiency. The results of that assessment showed a relatively better stripping performance with the chemical concentration of 5 g/L hydrose and 5 g/L caustic soda at 100 °C. Under this condition, the value of the whiteness index and stripping efficiency were adequate, with a minimum weight loss percentage and strength loss percentage. The stripping performance for the light shade (0.3% owf) fabric was deemed to be better than that for the dark shade (3.0% owf) fabric.

Ecofriendly pretreatment of cotton fabrics by ultrasonication and reusing bath chemicals.

The textile industries of Bangladesh contribute significantly to the country's economy, accounting for more than 40% of total annual export. The quest of new technologies for efficient water and energy use in cotton knit dyeing could result in significant water savings and improve environmental sustainability. Textile wet processing consumes a lot of utilities (water and energy), and the water generates a lot of waste, which enhances chemical consumption and effluent management costs. The cotton knit fabric used in this study was pretreated and dyed utilizing ultrasonication at a lower temperature than conventional pretreatment and dyeing techniques in an attempt to establish ecofriendly wet processing in the textile industry. The bath chemicals were reused up to two times before dyeing in conventional techniques, and fabric properties such as whiteness index, weight loss, bursting strength, color fastness to light, washing, perspiration, rubbing, color strength and durability, or dimensional stability were evaluated and compared with the values obtained by conventional techniques. The color matching of reactive dyed fabric for ultrasonic pretreated fabric with and without reusing bath chemicals was determined. The sonicated scoured and bleached fabric's whiteness index was found to be acceptable, with relatively low weight loss; however, the bursting strength was found to be increased. Color fastness to light, washing, perspiration, and rubbing were found to be comparable to the conventional technique for low temperature ultrasonicated pretreated and reuse-1 pretreated dyed knit fabric. The results also revealed that there was no color degradation during ultrasonication. FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed no significant changes in the chemical composition of cellulose or the fabric shape of pretreated and dyed cotton knit fabric after ultrasonication.