Unfinished Fabrics Research Articles

Evaluating the Performance of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Finishes on Upholstery Fabrics

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are widely used to provide a hydrophobic and oleophobic barrier in some fabric finishing. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a class of harmful chemicals that persist in the environment and our bodies. For indoor upholstery, these finishes are used to prevent staining. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance finishes on commercial indoor fabrics for liquid repellency and stain performance. Three fabrics, each with an unfinished control, a dip finish, and a foam finish, were tested with coffee and oil-based salad dressing stains, two dwell times, two stain application procedures, and three abrasion conditions. Oil stain severity was affected by fabric type, finish, dwell time, and application procedure, but not abrasion. For water-based coffee stains, only fabric type had an effect. Droplet contact angle tests were also performed, revealing water and oil repellency is quickly lost with abrasion. Of the six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance-finished fabrics tested, five showed small improvements in stain performance over unfinished fabrics; however, the performance differences between fabric types were much larger than the benefits from finishes. For oil stains, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance finishes help in ideal conditions when the finish is unabraded, stains are set gently on the fabric, and stains are cleaned quickly. Our results suggest that the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on indoor furniture can be considerably reduced through intentional material selection to achieve better stain performance in lieu of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance finishes.

Comfort properties of moisture management finished bi-layer knitted fabrics: Part II - Moisture Management

Moisture management properties of six samples of bi-layer fabrics have been determined after optimised finish and their statistical analysis is done. It is found that the finished fabrics show better properties than those of unfinished fabrics. The bi-layer fabric structure along with the application of optimized moisture management finish makes the fabric more suitable for sportswear, exhibiting excellent moisture management properties in terms of wetting radius, absorption rate, wetting time and spreading speed of sweat. The results indicate that, the inner and outer microdenier polyester fabrics show better moisture management property, offering high levels of comfort, and hence are preferred during summer for active and sportswear due to the appreciable wetting radius, as well as good absorption rate, wetting time and well spreading speed of sweat.

Novel antimicrobial finishing of organic cotton fabrics using nano-emulsions derived from Karanja and Gokhru plants

Plant-based antimicrobial finishing of textiles is comparable in efficacy, can replace synthetic antimicrobial agents, and is environmentally safe and effective. However, developing durable antimicrobial finishes on cotton-based textiles is a challenge. This research reports the development and characterization of nano-emulsions obtained from Karanja [ Milletia pinnata] and Gokhru [ Pedalium murex Linn] plants. The nano-emulsions were produced using Milletia pinnata, coconut oil, and curry leaves (nano-emulsion 1) and Pedalium murex, coconut oil, and curry leaves (nano-emulsion 2). The nano-emulsions were characterized for their thermal stability, particle size, pH, and percentage add-on. Two different oils, with surfactant (polysorbate) ratios [1:1 and 1:2], were finished on organic cotton fabrics using a batch process. Scanning electron microscopy images were evaluated to determine the surface morphology of the finished fabrics, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry images of nano-emulsions were studied to determine the specific chemical constituents of nano-emulsions 1 and 2. The finished fabrics were evaluated for their antimicrobial resistance using various gram-positive bacteria [ Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis], which are found on human skin and cause nosocomial infections, gram-negative bacteria [ Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae], which cause urinary tract infections, and fungi [ Aspergillus niger]. The antimicrobial resistance was in the range of 98.62–99.87%, even after 10 washes, indicating that the finishes were effective and durable. The finished and unfinished fabrics were also evaluated for their performance properties, tensile strength, and moisture vapor transmission rate, and the results indicated good durability and comfort characteristics. Our findings highlight the potential of plant-based antimicrobial agents for durable finishing of cotton textiles with antimicrobial properties, thus preventing the spread of infections.

Investigation into the effect of resin finish on the functional characteristics of plain fabrics using different curing methods

PurposeCellulosic fabric and plain weave are the most commonly used material in home textiles. The poor wrinkling, dimensional stability and pilling are some of the problems faced during usage. The textile industries apply resin finish to improve these characteristics. The purpose of this study is to improve pilling resistance, dimensional stability and smoothness appearance (SA) of rayon and rayon/cotton plain fabrics using different concentrations of dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU) and acrylic copolymer. The finish was fixed using two different fixation methods.Design/methodology/approachThree concentrations, 40, 100 and 150 g/l of Arkofix NF (DMDHE based) and Appretan N9211 (acrylic copolymer), were taken. The finish was applied at normal and shock cure. The effects of finish on pilling resistance, dimensional stability, smoothness, tear strength, light fastness, Berger whiteness and yellowness index of plain fabrics were investigated.FindingsThe changes in the characteristics of the finished fabrics were compared with unfinished fabrics. This study revealed that at 40 g/l of Arkofix NF and Appretan N9211 using a normal cure would improve the pilling resistance, dimensional stability and SA of the plain fabrics. Whereas, there was no adverse effect observed on tear strength, light fastness, Berger whiteness and yellowness index of plain fabrics at these conditions.Originality/valueUnlike the previous studies, this paper proposed the single finish formulation where the functional characteristics of the plain rayon and rayon cotton fabrics meet the general requirement of a customer.

Self-cleaning Property of Polyester Fabrics Finished with 3DOM TiO2

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous titanium dioxide (3DOM TiO2) was prepared by a sol-gel method using poly(methyl methacrylate) as a template. The synthesized 3DOM TiO2 was finished on poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(lactic acid) fabrics by a pad-dry-cure method to enhance self-cleaning properties. Discoloration of curcumin, carmoisine and methylene blue stains on finished fabrics under UVA irradiation was examined to evaluate its self-cleaning abilities. The results showed that 3DOM TiO2 on the finished fabrics could diminish the stains in a higher degree as compared to the unfinished fabrics and fabrics finished with TiO2 nanoparticles. Dyeing properties of polyester fabrics with C.I. Disperse Red 60 were slightly affected by 3DOM TiO2. Color strength (K/S) and wash fastness of the 3DOM TiO2 finished fabrics were a little lower than the unfinished counterparts.

Infrared camouflage fabric prepared by paraffin phase change microcapsule with Good thermal insulting properties

With the rapid development of infrared detection technology and infrared precision guidance of weapons, infrared camouflage has important meanings. Paraffin, a kind of phase change material (PCM) is used as the core material of microcapsules and urea-formaldehyde resin as a shell material to prepare phase change microcapsules (MPCMs) by in-situ polymerization, and then coated on the fabric to get infrared camouflage fabric. Ultrasound cell pulverizer is used for phacoemulsification with short emulsification time to obtain uniform and stable emulsion. The as-prepared fabric was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared thermal imaging test, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature change test. The encapsulation ratio of the MPCMs was calculated to be 60.1 %. The average particle size of the MPCMs was 425.7 nm. Compared to unfinished fabrics, infrared camouflage fabrics can reduce temperatures by 5–10 ℃ and so is the infrared emissivity. The results showed that the prepared fabric had a certain degree of infrared camouflage ability since the ability to adjust with temperature changes is significant and infrared heat radiation can be effectively reduced. Based on these effects we believe this study can offer a promising strategy for the preparation of infrared camouflage fabrics both on laboratory and industrial scales.

Built Conservation and the Unfinished Fabrics of Time

Differentiating between the static impulse to preserve and the more open‐ended and imaginative process of conservation, Federica Goffi presents a building as ‘a fabric that, even when complete, is unfinished and open to change’. Associate Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Programs at the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University in Ottawa, Goffi has written widely on the topic of time, particularly taking St Peter's in the Vatican by way of example.

Amino silicones finished fabrics for lipase immobilization: Fabrics finishing and catalytic performance of immobilized lipase

Finishing of silk fabric was achieved by using amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and lipase from Candida sp. 99-125 was immobilized on the treated silk fabrics. Hydrophobic fabrics were obtained by dipping the native fabric in 0.125–0.25% (w/v) PDMS solution and dried at 70°C. The direct adsorption on PDMS-treated fabric was verified to be a better strategy for lipase immobilization than that by covalent binding. Compared to unfinished fabrics, the hydrolytic activity of immobilized enzyme on the finished fabric was improved by 1.6 times. Moreover, the activity of immobilized enzymes on hydrophobic fabrics was significantly improved in different concentrations of strong polar solvents such as methanol and ethanol, and in common organic solvents with different octanol–water partition coefficients (LogP). Enzymatic activity and stability in 15% water content system (added water accounted for the total reaction mixtures, v/v) showed more than 30% improvement in each batch. The amino–silicone finished fabric surface was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrophobic fabric immobilized enzyme could be recycled for more than 80 times with no significant decrease in esterification activity. PDMS-treated woven silk fabrics could be a potential support for lipase immobilization in catalytic esterification processes.

직물의 β-cyclodextrin 가공에 따른 휘발성 유기성분의 흡착과 제거

Clothes that retain and emanate body odor feel uncomfortable and unclean; subsequently, the adsorption, desorption and removal amounts of malodorous compounds from fabrics with different polarities were examined. 1-Octen-3-one, octanal and isovaleric acid, which are important malodor compounds from the body, were used as volatile organic compounds (VOC). Samples were prepared with unfinished and <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-CD finished cotton, nylon and PET fabrics. The amounts of VOCs retained on the fabrics were measured using headspace GC-MS; in addition, the odor intensity of the samples were evaluated by 10 trained panelists. The amounts adsorbed were estimated by weight gain; however, moisture was found to have a larger effect on the increase in weight than VOCs. The polarity of the VOCs decreased in the order of isovaleric acid, octanal and 1-octen-3-one. Despite the exceptionally large amounts of octanal adsorbed on the nylon sample, the amounts of malodorous compounds adsorbed on fabrics increased with the decreasing VOC molecular weight. The unfinished PET sample adsorbed more VOCs than the unfinished-fabric samples. The odor intensity was mostly weaker in the <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-CD finished fabrics than in the unfinished fabrics. The odor intensity of the <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-CD finished fabrics was lower than unfinished fabrics. The amount of VOCs that remained on the soiled fabric samples after storing in air for 24 hrs decreased with the increasing VOC vapor pressure. Most VOCs were removed by washing; however, more VOCs were left on the <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-CD finished fabrics than unfinished fabrics. The intensity of the odor from the unfinished PET and <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-CD finished fabrics was stronger and weaker, respectively, than that of other fabrics, even when the same amounts of VOCs remained.

The Fabric Finishing Giving Fabric Mint Cool Feel and Fresh Smell

Applying microencapsulation technology which takes menthol and other ingredients as the core material to fabric finishing could give fabrics mint cool feel. And the fabrics treated by finishing agent using β-cyclodextrin as the main component could adsorb odor and emit a faint scent. The test results showed that the fabrics treated by mint cool feel finishing have obvious mints smell and good aroma retaining effect. Compared with the unfinished fabrics, the fabrics treated by the fresh finishing have remarkable anti-odor effect, even after 20 times washing.

Image Quality of InkJet Printing on Polyester Fabrics

This paper is concerned with the image quality of lines that were inkjet printed on polyester woven fabric. Lines (ideal width of 0.1 mm) running in the warp and filling directions were inkjet printed on different fabrics, and print quality (line width, edge blurriness and edge raggedness) was assessed. The effects of fabric structural parameters (including fabric, yarn and fiber parameters), finishing (type and pick-up), and ink type on line image quality are discussed. Image quality depended on fabric construction, particularly for unfinished fabrics. The satin fabric had the worst image quality while the image quality on the plain fabric was best. Finishing can improve image quality; however, the type of finish was very important. Acrylic resin finish improved printing quality significantly, but results with polyurethane resin-finished fabric were not much better than for unfinished fabric. A volatile ink reduced wicking and improves line image quality; thus, image quality using the alcohol base ink was better than for the oil or glycol based inks.

Effects of Dyeing and Finishing on Hygral Expansion and Other Crimp-Dependent Physical Properties of Wool Fabrics

Low stress tensile properties as measured by KESF instruments—hygral expansion, relaxation shrinkage, and the crimp of the yarns in a fabric—were determined for a pure wool fabric after each of a number of dyeing and finishing processes. The dyeing recipes and dyes cover the range for wool in industry. Dye-fiber interactions were evaluated by comparing the properties of dyed fabrics with those of blank dyed controls. Dyeing and finishing alter many mechanical and physical properties of a fabric by changing the crimp of its yams, due to stress relaxation of interyarn forces in the unfinished fabrics during processing. The degree to which the initial interyarn stresses are relaxed is also an important parameter. Acid and chrome dyes did not affect the resulting fabric properties, but reactive dyes often had a dramatic effect on changes that took place during piece dyeing. Reactive dye-fiber interactions altered fabric crimp as a result of dyeing. In turn, crimp differences affected the resulting crimp-dependent fabric properties—hygral expansion and low-stress tensile properties. The effect was resistant to decatizing. This result has beneficial implications for controlling hygral expansion.

Property modifications of finished textiles by a cationic surfactant

Fabrics made of 100% cotton, 100% polyester and a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend with and without functional finishes were treated in aqueous solutions of the cationic surfactant distearyldimethylammonium bromide (DSDMAB). Finishes chosen were dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU), a durable press finish, and poly(acrylic acid), a soil release finish. Selective sorption of the cationic surfactant by finished and unfinished fabrics was quantified. Cotton takes up much larger amounts of DSDMAB than does polyester. In general, acrylic finished fabrics take up more DSDMAB, while DMDHEU finished fabrics take up smaller amounts of DSDMAB as compared to their unfinished controls. These findings indicate that ionic interaction forces play an important role in the sorption process. In order to investigate this, acid numbers were used as a relative measure of negative sorption sites on fabrics. A direct relationship between DSDMAB sorption and the acid numbers of the fabrics was established.Perceived fabric softness is generally improved by treatments with DSDMAB for all test fabrics. Although cotton fabrics finished with DMDHEU were perceived to be less soft than unfinished cotton, treatment with DSDMAB restored the softness level to that of unfinished cotton. The softness of both cotton and polyester fabrics was greatly lowered by the acrylic finish. The presence of even large amounts of DSDMAB did not restore softness ratings to levels comparable to unfinished controls.Electrical resistivity and electrostatic clinging measurements were used to assess the effectiveness of DSDMAB as an antistatic agent. DSDMAB reduced the electrical resistivities of all test fabrics. However, relative humidity played a much larger role in reducting the electrical resistivity of fabrics. Clinging times were also reduced by DSDMAB treatments. DSDMAB was particularly efficient in reducing the clinging time of polyester.Additional moisture related properties were investigated. The presence of DSDMAB on the test fabrics did not significantly alter moisture regain. The application of DSDMAB from aqueous solutions resulted in lower water retention values of the test fabrics after centrifuging at ag‐factor comparable to home washing machines. This leads to energy savings during drying from 10–24%, depending on the fabric and finish type. However, energy savings due to fiber type were more significant than those due to the cationic surfactant treatment.

Pesticide Barrier Performance of Selected Nonwoven Fabrics in Laboratory Capillary and Pressure Penetration Testing

Laboratory spray tests have been used to evaluate the protection offered by two distinct nonwoven fabrics with and without fluorocarbon finishes. The fabrics were contaminated with dicofol field spray mix at coverage levels ranging from 50 to 200 mg/m 2, values typical of actual field exposures of pesticide spray applicators. Half the samples were subjected to an external compression pressure of 1 psi immediately after contamination (pressure penetration test). The remaining fabrics were allowed to dry without manipulation (capillary penetration test). Increasing contamination level and application of an external mechanical pressure greatly increased the pene tration of dicofol through all test fabrics. All four test fabrics provided protection against capillary penetration, usually at levels greater than 99%. In pressure penetration testing, the performance of the two unfinished fabrics was significantly better than that of the finished fabrics.

Influence of Bleaching Operations on the Properties of Control and DMEU-Finished Cotton Fabrics

Two-mercerized-scoured (MS) cotton fabrics ( viz. J-box scoured poplin and pressure-scoured drill) were bleached with sodium hypochlorite (HC), hydrogen peroxide (BP), and sodium chlorite (SC) in the laboratory to a CuAm duiditv of 4.5 ± 0.5 poises-1 for poplin and 5 ± 0.5 poises-1 for the drill. They were further finished in the laboratory with 30-150 g/l. DMEU by the pad-dry-cure technique. Evaluation of these fabrics for resilience and strength-abrasion properties have shown that chlorite bleaching gives good strength-abrasion properties on both the unfinished fabrics. On DMEU finishing, hypochlorite-bleached fabric gives best performance on both the fabrics. The gradation in overall performance of DMEU-finished poplin samples is HC &gt; BP &gt; SC &gt; MS. Similar gradation for the drill fabric is HC &gt; MS &gt; SC &gt; BP.

Distribution of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate between Fabric and Liquor in Simulated Detergent Liquors

Adsorption characteristics of cotton, 65–35 polyester/cotton, and 100% polyester fabrics were measured by liquid scintillation counting using C14-labeled linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) as the surfactant. A detergent liquor composed of surfactant, builder, silicate, and hardness ions were used to simulate actual detergent formulations. The effects of water hardness, builder level, temperature, pH, and sulfate and silicate levels on the distribution of LAS between the fabric and the liquor phase were examined. A considerable portion of LAS was found to be adsorbed on the fabrics depending upon the kind of fabric.For a given fabric, hardness ion and builder level are determining factors for adsorption. Detergent builders influence the degree of surfactant adsorption depending on their ability to complex Ca++and Mg++. Permanent-press finishes were found to cause LAS adsorption to increase relative to corresponding unfinished fabrics. The rate of LAS adsorption under agitation was determined. The amount adsorbed was found to be linear against the logarithm of time. Adsorption “isotherms” were generated for 15-minute data.

The Effect of Set-treatments on Crease Resistance and Stiffness of Fabrics

The crease resistance and stiffness of fabrics subjected to various set-treatments are measured' in this article. Unfinished fabrics have very low crease resistance and very high stiffness. However, the crease angle increases and stiffness decreases with an increase in the temperature of heat setting. A moderate temperature increases the creases angle to a maximum and reduces stiffness to a minimum. Crease angle θ and stiffness k can be divided into two factors by the following equation: k=k1; +k2; k1; : stiffness of yarns k2; : stiffness originating mainly from the interaction of warp and weft, θ=θ1; -θ2; θ1; : the term of fiber elasticity θ2; : the term of the interaction of yarns.By measuring k, k1; θ and assuming θ1; from the experimental value of elastic recovery of fiber, k2; and θ2; are deducible.The above-mentioned phenomena up to a minimum and a maximum, it is believed, originate mainly from a decrease in k2; and θ2;. In other words, heat setting relaxes the residual stress in fiber and reduces the force of warp-weft interaction.