Fabrication and Characterization of Biodegradable Polymer as Multifunction Finishing Agent for Natural fabrics

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Textile metrology lab. national Institute of Standards, Egypt

Abstract

In this work, chitosan solution in aqueous acetic acid used to produce both bulk and nano sized chitosan as finishing agent for cotton and silk fabrics using different coating techniques; pad-dry-cure (for bulk chitosan) and electrospraying (for nano chitosan). The treated fabric samples were characterized via FTIR, XRD and SEM. The obtained coated samples were evaluated for their antibacterial activity towards both E. coli (Gram -ve) and S. aureus (Gram +ve) bacteria. Also, the treated samples were assessed for ultraviolet protection degree through measuring the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). Moreover, the wettability of the treated samples was evaluated through measuring the contact angle of water droplet on the fabric surface. Additionally, the electrical conductance and capacitance of all treated samples were measured. The obtained nano coated chitosan fabrics have proved to be of high potential eco-friendly and cost-effective products to be used for hygiene, medical and electromagnetic shielding applications.

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