Effect of nano SrTiO3 supporting nano TiO2 on self-cleaning of cotton fabric

This study reports the results of an investigation aiming at finding what affect nano titania (TiO₂) and nano strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) on self-cleaning of cotton fabrics. The photocatalytic activity of nano strontium titanate has been examined on cotton fabric under UV irradiation in various concentrations in mixing of nano titania. The amount of loaded nano titania and nano strontium titanate particles on cotton fabrics were investigated using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and crystallinity of coatings by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The treated cotton fabrics, which were stained with two common synthesized dyes, were exposed to 400 W UV radiation for 30 hours and their self-cleaning property was investigated by a reflectance spectrophotometer. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show pervasion of nano materials on the surface of the treated cotton. Adding nano strontium titanate to nano titania showed the most promising photocatalytic activity toward dye degradation.     

Antibacterial finishing of cotton fabrics using biologically active natural compounds

The paper discusses a method to functionalize cotton fabrics using biologically active natural compounds to achieve the antibacterial characteristics required for medical application. The biologically active natural compounds include propolis, beeswax, and chitosan. Three 100 % cotton knitted fabrics with different degrees of compactness were impregnated in the emulsions containing the active ingredients and fabric variant G3 with the highest degree of impregnation was considered for the evaluation of the antibacterial properties and comfort characteristics. The results show that the treated cotton fabric had high antibacterial activity against both gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus β haemolytic, and gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The presence of the biologically active natural compounds on the cotton substrates modified the surface of the textile fibers as seen in the SEM images. The treatment also improved fabric comfort properties, the cotton substrates became less air permissive and more hygroscopic after the treatment. The experimental results indicated that propolis, beeswax and chitosan can be applied as an emulsion to functionalize cotton textile materials. The antibacterial performance of the functionalized fabrics suggested that the cotton fabrics treated with those biologically active natural compounds have the potentials to be used in medical fields.     

A two-bath method for digital ink-jet printing of cotton fabric with chitosan

In our previous research, the possibility of using chitosan in preparing the pretreatment print paste for digital ink-jet printing for cotton fabric was investigated but the final color was not good as expected. In this paper, we modified our previous work by applying the chitsoan separately on the cotton fabric for digital ink-jet printing. A two-bath method was thus proposed and it was confirmed that a better color yield was achieved with this method. However, the use of chitosan reduced the tensile strength of the digital ink-jet printed fabric slightly.     

Antibacterial cotton fabric with enhanced durability prepared using L-cysteine and silver nanoparticles

L-cysteine (Cys) and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully linked onto the cotton fabric surfaces. The Cys molecules were covalently linked to the cotton fibers via esterification with the cellulose hydroxyl groups, and the Ag NPs tightly adhered to the fiber surface via coordination bonds with the Cys thiol groups. As a result, the Ag NPs coating on the cotton fabric showed an excellent antibacterial function with an outstanding laundering durability. The bacterial reduction rates (BR) efficiency reached 100 % for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). After 50 consecutive laundering cycles, the bacterial reduction rates (BR) against E. coli and S. aureus were maintained over 97 %. It has potential applications in a wide variety of fields such as sportswear, socks, and medical textile.     

Preparation of the cotton fabric with ultraviolet resistance and antibacterial activity using nano attapulgite colloidal particles

A carefully designed surface modification technique for the preparation of multifunctional cotton fabric was successfully developed by the functionalization of cotton fabric with nano attapulgite (ATP) colloidal particles. The dispersion of the nano ATP colloidal particles, the morphology, microstructure, thermal stability, ultraviolet resistance, antibacterial activity and air permeability of the treated cotton fabric were characterized. The results showed that the particle size of the ATP particle distributed between 100 nm to 150 nm after dispersion. The SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectra) analysis demonstrated that the ATP particles were successfully introduced to surface of the cotton fabric. The structural and thermal stability of the treated fabric were higher than those of the untreated fabric. The ATP treated cotton fabric possessed excellent ultraviolet resistance and antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the treatment did not affect the wear ability of the cotton fabric. The multifunctional cotton fabric meets the market demand for natural products.     

Effect of concentration of titanium dioxide acting as catalyst or co-catalyst on the wrinkle-resistant finishing of cotton fabric

The wrinkle-resistant property of cotton specimens treated by 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) and catalysed by sodium hypophosphite (SHP) in the presence of TiO₂ or nano-TiO₂ has been evaluated in the present study. In this study, Scanning Electron Microscopy proved the presence of TiO₂ or nano-TiO₂ on the fibre surface. It was also found that 0.1–0.2 % TiO₂ or nano-TiO₂ was the optimum concentration to enhance the wrinkle-resistance of BTCA-SHP-treated cotton fabrics. In addition, the TiO₂ or nano-TiO₂ added in the wrinkle-resistant treatment could act as a multi-functional finishing agent to improve the UV protection property while they are safe to human skin as proved by the cytotoxicity test. Therefore, TiO₂ or nano-TiO₂ was evident that they could enhance the finishing performance and minimise the side effect.     

Antibacterial Bombyx Mori silk fabric modified with reactive chitosan quaternary ammonium salt and its laundering durability

A new fiber-reactive chitosan derivative was synthesized in two steps from a chitosan of low molecular weight. First, a water-soluble chitosan derivative, N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride (short for HTCC), was prepared by reacting chitosan with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride. Second, HTCC was further modified by reacting with N-(hydroxymethyl)-acrylamide to prepare a fiber-reactive chitosan derivative, O-methyl acrylamide quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan (short for NMA-HTCC), which can form covalent bonds with silk fiber under alkaline conditions. The chemical structure of NMA-HTCC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The substitution degree of HTCC and the double-bond content of NMA-HTCC were tested. Then NMA-HTCC was used for antibacterial finishing of Bombyx Mori silk fabric. The results showed that silk fabric treated with NMA-HTCC had a significantly improved antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the antibacterial activity of silk fabric finished by NMA-HTCC was much better than that finished by chitosan and HTCC. Bombyx Mori silk fabric modified with NMA-HTCC demonstrated excellent durable antibacterial activity, even after 50 repeated launderings, the bacterial reduction rate of silk fabric maintained over 95 %.     

Modification of cotton fabric by mussel-inspired for oil/water separation

An oil/water separation cotton fabric with high separation efficiency has been successfully developed by combining mussel-inspired one-step copolymerization approach and Michael addition reaction. The cotton fabric was first coated with the adhesive polydopamine (PDA) film by simple immersion in an aqueous solution of dopamine at pH of 8.5. Then n-dodecyl mercaptan (NDM) was conjugated with PDA film through Michael addition reaction at ambient temperature. The chemical structure, surface topography, and surface wettability of the fabric were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle experiments, respectively. The results showed that as-prepared cotton fabric had highly hydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 145° and superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 0°. It exhibited desirable property of oil/water separation, and it had excellent potential to be used in practical applications and has created a new field for oil/water separation.     

全球棉花及棉纺织品和服装零售的趋势

1全球棉价走势 全球棉价的长期平均值为每磅72美分。自1995年WTO农业协议生效以来，全球棉价持续走低，2001年跌至每磅42美分左右，是29年以来的最低水平（见图1）。仅在2003年11月棉价才在短期内突破76美分（见图2）。随后又急剧下跌，于2004年12月跌至每磅43美分。棉价上涨的主要原因是棉价触底后。全球棉花库存持续减少，供需失衡造成的。近期棉价（2005年11月17日）维持在每磅56美分左右。     

Salt-free dyeability of thiourea grafted cotton fabric

In this study salt-free dyeing cotton fabric was achieved by grafting thiourea to cotton fibers, where the thiourea grafted cotton fabric (TUGCF) was prepared by epoxidizing cotton fibers with epichlorohydrin in water and subsequently grafting in aqueous solution of thiourea. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and XPS of the TUGCF indicated that a great amount of epoxy groups from the epoxidized cotton fibers reacted with amino groups from thiourea. The TUGCF fabric prepared at the optimum condition and subsequently dyed with reactive dyes in the absence of salt displayed significantly enhanced color strength, showing better dyeing properties when compared with the untreated cotton fabric dyed with conventional methods, in terms of washing fastness, rubbing fastness, and levelness. It was found that the dyeing performance of Reactive Red B-3BF followed a Langmuir-type adsorption curve when used to salt-free dye the TUGCF.     

Fabrication of hydrophobic/oleophilic cotton fabric by mussel-inspired chemistry for oil/water separation

A straightforward approach was proposed to modify cotton fabric for oil/water separation based on musselinspired reaction. The poly(DMA-Octadecyl acrylate) was designed to contain key chemical constituents present in mussel adhesive proteins by free radical polymerization of dopamine hydrochloride and octadecyl acrylate, which strongly adsorbed to fabric substrates, providing a special surface for fabric. The chemical structure, surface topography, and surface wettability of the fabric were characterized. The results showed that as-prepared cotton fabric displayed a high CA of >150° when dripped water droplets were on the modified fabric surface, and the oil contact angle (OCA) was close to 0°, it had excellent potential to be used in practical applications and has created a new method of fabric modification for oil/water separation.     

Warp and weft directional tensile properties of multistitched woven fabric E-glass/polyester nano composites

The aim of this study was to understand the warp and weft directional tensile properties of the developed two dimensional (2D) multistitched multilayer E-glass/polyester woven nano composites. It was found that the warp and weft directional specific tensile strength and modulus of unstitched structure were higher than those of the machine stitched and machine stitched/nano structures due to stitching caused filament breakages. When the nano silica material in the unstitched E-glass/polyester composite structure increased, the warp and weft directional specific tensile strength and the modulus of the unstitched/nano structures increased. The failure of warp and weft directional 2D unstitched and unstitched/nano woven E-glass/polyester composite structures had a complete delamination in their cross-sections. But, the failure of warp and weft directional 2D stitched and stitched/nano woven E-glass/polyester composite structures had a local delamination in their cross-sections and the failure was confined at a narrow area. The warp and weft directional specific damaged areas of unstitched structure were higher than those of the stitched and stitched/nano structures. Also, the warp and weft directional specific damaged areas of machine stitched structure were slightly higher than those of the machine stitched/nano structure. It could be concluded that the addition of nano silica to the stitched structures improved to their damage resistance.     

Antibacterial properties of silk fibroin/chitosan blend films loaded with plant extract

The silk fibroin (SF)/chitosan (CHI) blend films were prepared by dissolving them in formic acid. The morphology of the films was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The roughness of the membranes was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). These films were treated with the extracts of Pistacia terebinthus, Pistacia lentiscus, and Hypericum empetrifolium. Folin-Ciocalteu assay was used to determine the amount of total phenols adsorbed on these blend films. The antibacterial properties of films were tested using disc diffusion and turbidity measurement methods against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The release of adsorbed phenolics from the film surface resulted in antibacterial properties.     

Improving wrinkle resistance of cotton fabric by montmorillonite

Cotton fabric was treated with montmorillonite (MMT) so as to evaluate its effectiveness on improving its wrinkle resistance. The MMT in emulsion form was applied to cotton fabric by padding and finally the wrinkle resistance of the MMT-treated cotton fabric was improved. Furthermore, instrumental methods were used for studying the presence of MMT particles on the cotton fabric surface. It was noted that nano-scale MMT particles adhered on the fiber surface and the particle size played an important role in influencing the wrinkle resistance of the cotton fabric. The experimental results are discussed thoroughly in this paper.     

Effect of Urea/NaOH aqueous system on morphology and properties of cotton fabric

This paper was focused on comparing the effect of urea/NaOH aqueous system with that of single urea or NaOH treating system on cotton fabric morphology and properties. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and wide X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were used to study cotton fabric morphology and properties before and after treatment by urea/NaOH, single urea, and single NaOH treating systems. Results showed that the cotton fabric treated by urea/NaOH aqueous system had better dyeability than the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating systems. Obvious differences were observed in appearance and morphology of cotton fabrics before and after treatment by urea/NaOH aqueous system. The composition and the structure of urea/NaOH treated cotton fiber had no distinct changes, only except the reduced hydrogen bonding between cellulosic macromolecules. Tensile strength and elongation at break of cotton fabric showed a slight decrease after treatment by urea/NaOH system. In addition, shrinkage of area and weight reduction of urea/NaOH treated samples were higher than those of the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating system.     

Fabric objective measurement of the plasma-treated cotton fabric subjected to wrinkle-resistant finishing with BTCA and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> system

Handle is an important factor when designing the end-uses of fabric as it is also a critical factor for purchasing decision. In the present study, the Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F) was used for measuring the fabric handle of BTCA-TiO₂ treated cotton fabric with or without plasma pre-treatment. The results revealed that the BTCA-TiO₂ treated cotton fabrics without plasma pre-treatment had a negative effect on tensile, shearing, compressional, and surface properties while the bending properties were improved. On the other hand, the plasma pre-treatment improved the tensile and compressional properties, but not the bending, shearing, and surface properties.     

Facile fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton fabric from stearyl methacrylate modified polysiloxane/silica nanocomposite

The stearyl methacrylate modified polysiloxane/nanocomposite was synthesized by graft copolymerization between stearyl methacrylate modified polysiloxane with pendent epoxy groups and amino-functionalized nano silica. Then it was utilized to fabricate the superhydrophobic cotton fabric by one-step method. The structures, chemical compositions, thermal properties, surface morphology and wettability were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Static contact angle analyzer. Results showed that a hydrophobic polysiloxane film and many nano-scaled tubercles were coated on the surface of the treated cotton fabrics plus their inherent microscaled roughness, which were the reasons why cotton fabric changed from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. In addition, with increase of the amount of nanocomposite, hydrophobicity of the treated cotton fabric would be enhanced; water contact angle of this fabric could attain 157°, which was higher than 141.5° reached by the fabric treated with stearyl methacrylate modified polysiloxane. The superhydrophobic cotton fabric also possessed favorable washing durability. On the other hand, its air permeability, color and softness would not be influenced instead.     

One-bath one-dye class dyeing of PES/cotton blends after corona and chitosan treatment

In this work, the effects of corona discharge (CD) and chitosan treatment on the dyeability of polyester/cotton blends with direct and reactive dyes were studied. The surface chemical changes of polyester and cotton were analyzed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The correlation between chemical changes, wettability, and dyeability after CD and/or chitosan treatment has been established. Color intensity of both single components and PES/cotton blend increased proportionally with increasing chitosan concentration. The results obtained open the possibility for a new method for dyeing of polyester/cotton blends in a single bath using one dye-class that is commonly used for dyeing of textile material of cellulosic origin.     

Simultaneous synthesis of nano ZnO and surface modification of polyester fabric

In this study, synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles was carried out along with the hydrolysis of polyester fabric using sodium hydroxide to increase the surface activity and enhance the nanoparticles adsorption. The polyester fabrics were treated with zinc acetate and sodium hydroxide at different bath conditions, ultrasound and stirrer, resulting in formation of ZnO nanospheres and ZnO nanorods. The presence of zinc oxide with different shapes on the surface of the polyester fabrics was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Also, the X-ray diffraction patterns established the composition of wurtzite structure of zinc oxide. The self-cleaning property of treated polyester fabrics was evaluated through discoloring dye stain under sunlight irradiation. The antibacterial activities of the samples against two common pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were also assessed. The results indicated that the photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of the ultrasound treated polyester fabrics were superior compared to the stirrer treated samples.     

Synthesis of temporarily solubilized reactive disperse dyes and their application to the polyester/cotton blend fabric

Five temporarily solubilized reactive disperse dyes were synthesized and characterized. They were applied to polyester/cotton blend fabric using one-bath dyeing method without dispersing agent. The dye that has azonaphthalene chromophore seemed to not only be exhausted on polyester but also react with cotton. But other dyes were selectively dyed on polyester and showed limited uptake on cotton. Good levelling as well as moderate to good colour fastness was obtained with the dyes on P/C blend fabric.