Use of lipoprotein lipase in the improvement of some properties of wool fabrics

Wool fabrics were pretreated with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of different stabilisers; namely, sodium silicate, magnesium sulphate and imino disuccinic acid sodium salt. The effect of stabiliser type and concentration on the properties of the treated wool were studied. Imino disuccinic acid sodium salt was found to be the most effective stabiliser for hydrogen peroxide when added to the bleaching bath of wool fabric. The effect of after‐treatment of the pre‐oxidised wool fabric with commercially produced lipoprotein lipase enzyme on its dyeability with acid and reactive dyes, as well as on some of its physico‐mechanical properties, was assessed. Chemical and microscopic analyses were conducted to assess changes in the chemical composition of wool treated with this system. Wool fabrics treated with hydrogen peroxide/imino disuccinic acid sodium salt/lipoprotein lipase enzyme exhibit improved wettability and, hence, dyeability with both acid and reactive dyes, as well as enhanced resistance to felting shrinkage and pilling, without severe deterioration in the fabric’s inherent properties.     

混纺比对毛涤混纺织物性能的影响分析

毛涤混纺织物挺括、耐磨、抗皱、保型,但涤纶含量过多织物会显硬板、不丰满、容易起毛起球等。为了分析毛涤混纺比对织物性能的影响,测试了四种不同混纺比的毛涤混纺织物的悬垂性、抗折皱回复性、抗起毛起球性等。结果显示:在不影响织物外观性能和舒适感的条件下,随着涤纶含量的增加,毛涤混纺织物的耐磨性增强,抗折皱回复性能变好,但同时也会在一定程度上造成织物的起毛起球现象加重,悬垂性变差。     

Surface modification of wool fabric for printing with acid and reactive dyes

The present study investigates environmentally safe pretreatments for wool fabric to improve its printing with acid and reactive dyes. Wool fabric was pretreated either with activated hydrogen peroxide using tetraacetylethylenediamine or with lipase enzyme under specified conditions. Some acid and reactive dyes were applied for wool printing using normal techniques. These treatments were found to improve the colour intensity of the printed fabrics to a level comparable with those of prechlorinated wool fabrics.     

Differential dyeing of wool fabric with metal‐complex dyes after ultraviolet irradiation

Experiments were conducted to investigate the ultraviolet irradiation of wool fabric as a pretreatment for differential dyeing. Wool fabric was irradiated using a medium‐pressure mercury lamp in order to obtain, on the irradiated area, increased dye uptake under the same dyeing conditions as untreated wool. The chemical modification of the fibre surface as a result of ultraviolet irradiation was confirmed by an increase in metal ion absorption and hydrophilicity, in agreement with Fourier Transform‐infrared–attenuated total reflectance spectra, although scanning electron microscopy showed that the fibre morphology was unaffected. A selection of 1:1 metal‐complex dyes was used to show the maximum colour difference between irradiated and untreated areas of the fabric. The experiments focused on two effects: a double face with the same shade but different depths (greater depth on the treated side), and a double face with different shades. The latter effect was achieved by dyeing the irradiated fabrics with mixtures of acid and metal‐complex dyes. Rubbing and washing fastness evaluations at 50 °C confirmed that the dyeings after irradiation with the selected 1:1 metal‐complex dyes scored identically to conventional dyeings.     

Fastness and dyeability improvement of wool fabric pretreated with oxalate derivatives

Wool fabrics were pretreated with calcium and sodium oxalate in acidic and alkaline pH media. The pretreated and untreated fabric samples were then dyed in the same bath with acid dyes by the exhaustion technique. The pretreated fiber sample surfaces were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The color strength and fastness properties of the fabrics were investigated. The results of the study showed that pretreatment with oxalate derivatives can be used as a means of improving the dyeability of wool fibers. As the dyed, pretreated wool fabrics had higher color strength and fastness results than the untreated wool fabrics, the mechanical properties were affected negatively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

The effect of various anti-setting systems in wool dyeing. Part 3; Sodium thiocyanate based systems

Wool fabrics undergo setting during dyeing. The degree of set can be controlled by careful selection of dyebath conditions and also by the addition to the dyebath of chemicals termed anti-setting agents. The anti-setting effect of sodium thiocyanate has been evaluated according to its concentration in the dyebath and the dyebath pH. The fabric crease-angle method was adopted to estimate the degree of anti-setting. In the case of wool fabric boiled in the presence of sodium thiocyanate, good anti-setting effects resulted from the pH 3 and pH 5 treatment baths. Chemical changes in the wool were detected using FTIR analysis.     

Surface modification of textiles by glow discharge technique: Part II: Low frequency plasma treatment of wool fabrics with acrylic acid

In this study, wool fibers are modified by low frequency plasma polymerization of acrylic acid regarding to its' hydrophobic character due to cuticular cells at their surfaces. Variables of the plasma glow discharge processes were power (40–100 W) and exposure time (5–45 min). The effect of plasma modification in the performance properties of wool were investigated on the basis of hydrophilicity of wool, average wrinkle recovery angle, and breaking strength. The surface chemical structures of fabrics were examined with x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrophobic wool fabric became hydrophilic after all plasma treatments except one (40W–5 min). Average wrinkle recovery angle of the treated fabrics were between 157 and 178°, while that of untreated fabric was 180°. The treated fabrics had a little bit lower angles according to the untreated fabric. However, even the lowest value as 157° means that the fabric has a good crease resistance property. The breaking strengths of fabrics were increased up to 26% after the plasma treatments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

An effective antimicrobial treatment for wool using polyhexamethylene biguanide as the biocide,Part 1: Biocide uptake and antimicrobial activity

Antimicrobial treatments of textiles have received substantial attention in recent years, both in academic research and in commercial productions. Such treatments prevent the odor formation and fabric deterioration that arise from the growth of microbes on the textiles during their use or storage. So far, antimicrobial treatments have mainly focused on cotton and synthetic fibers, and a viable treatment for wool is lacking. In this report, we demonstrate a novel and effective antimicrobial finishing for wool. We found that pretreatment with peroxymonosulfate and sulfite, a treatment previously developed for shrink resistance, uniquely enabled wool to exhaust up to 5% (on the weight of the fabric) of the biocide polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) under mild conditions. In contrast, untreated or chlorinated wool had little affinity for this biocide. The exhaustion was facilitated by higher temperatures but was not affected by pH over a broad range. Wool fabrics finished with PHMB exhibited strong antimicrobial abilities that could deactivate the bacterium Escherichia coli within a few minutes of contact. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

A Laboratory Study of Dry Chlorination of Wool at Atmospheric Pressure II—Evaluation of Treated Wool

Wool dry-chlorinated in the laboratory plant described in Part I of this study was subjected to three tests. Degradation of the treated wool was assessed by load-extension measurements on single fibres. Batches of treated wool were converted into knitted fabrics and handle and washing shrinkage tests were carried out on the fabrics. The treatment only slightly affected the elastic behaviour of single wool fibres, indicating insignificant degradation of the fibre. The best shrink resistance was obtained under conditions that also caused greatest deterioration in handle.     

涤纶混纺针织物面料的抗起毛起球整理

将制备的抗起毛起球整理剂WPUA应用在涤毛混纺针织物和涤棉混纺针织物上,结果表明:当WPUA质量浓度为80 g/L、焙烘温度120℃、焙烘时间3 min时,涤毛针织物抗起毛起球等级提高了4级,涤棉针织物抗起毛起球等级提高了3级;织物手感和白度与原织物等级相当;静电压半衰期明显降低,抗静电性能得到提高;与目前市售的高效抗起毛起球整理剂的各项性能相当。扫描电镜表明:经整理后的织物,纤维尾端被黏附在纱线的表面,织物表现出抗起毛起球的特征。     

Photo bleaching of wool using nano TiO2 under daylight irradiation

Wool bleaching is usually carried out on raw wool through treatment with oxidizing or reducing agents. Here, nano TiO₂ as a photocatalyst was applied on raw wool fabric to decompose the naturally occurred pigments under daylight irradiation. To enhance nano particles adsorption on the fabric, it was first treated with protease and then treated with nano TiO₂ along with citric acid. The whiteness and yellowness indexes and hydrophilicity features of the treated wool fabrics indicated a reasonable whiteness with a significant improved hydrophilicity. This new wool bleaching approach was named as “nano photo bleaching” as a most successful bleaching application.     

Preparation of cationic polyurethane and its application to acrylic fabrics

The cationic aqueous polyurethane (CAPU) coatings were prepared by reacting isophoron diisocyanate with quaternized diethanolamine (DEA) and poly(ethylene glycol) of two different molecular weights (M_n = 600 and 1000 g/mol; CAPU₆₀₀ and CAPU₁₀₀₀). The quaternization of DEA and the formation of cationic polyurethane were investigated by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The pilling resistance and the antimicrobial property of the coated acrylic fabric were also studied. Obtained results showed that the pilling resistance of the treated fabrics increased with the increase in the concentration of the used CAPU. The acrylic fabrics treated with CAPU₁₀₀₀ shows higher value of pilling resistance, even at lower concentration in comparison with CAPU₆₀₀. The higher the curing temperature is, the higher the pilling resistance, fabric roughness, and yellowness of the treated acrylic fabrics are. The untreated fabric showed no antimicrobial property, while the treated fabrics with CAPU showed superior antimicrobial properties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

微波处理羊毛的染色性能研究

通过扫描电镜和激光拉曼光谱等技术研究了预处理前后羊毛纤维表面形态结构和二硫键含量的变化。讨论了微波辐射功率和时间对羊毛织物回潮率的影响。采用微波对羊毛进行辐射处理,通过研究微波辐射功率和辐射时间对羊毛染色织物表观得色量的影响优化出了处理羊毛的最佳工艺条件。通过最佳处理条件对羊毛织物进行处理,并且采用毛用兰纳素活性染料和派拉丁1∶1金属络合染料对羊毛织物进行染色,通过上染速率曲线测试了处理前后羊毛的上染性能。对比分析了羊毛织物未经微波预处理和经微波预处理染色后的上染率、固着率和总固着率等染色性能。     

Mothproofing of wool fabric utilizing ZnO nanoparticles optimized by statistical models

Wool with high strength, elasticity, and resiliency has good dye-ability and comfort however could be digested by keratinolytic enzymes. In this research, wool fabric pre-treated with BTCA and then treated with nano ZnO. The treated fabrics showed mothproofing activity against the larvae of carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, as feeding protein fibers. The role of both BTCA and nano ZnO concentrations on mothproofing properties of the wool fabric were optimized using statistical model of response surface methodology (RSM). Mothproofing was investigated through assessing wool weight loss during feeding by A. verbasci. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to obtain the optimum models for wool with mothproofing properties. The damages on the wool surface confirmed with scanning electron microscopy and digital camera images. Further transmission and absorbance spectra approved the UV protection properties of the nano ZnO treated wool in both UVA and UVB.     

Dual responsive wool fabric by cellulose nanowhisker reinforced shape memory polyurethane

Shape memory wool fabrics having both temperature and moisture responsiveness were fabricated by a functional nanocomposite treatment comprising of shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) and cellulose nanowhisker (CNW). Water vapor permeability and sweat absorption properties were investigated under different temperature or relative humidity values to test smart comfort capabilities of the treated fabrics. Besides, felting shrinkage and weight loss of the fabrics after repeated washing cycles were investigated for end use performance. It was found out that the wool fabrics functionalized by nanocomposite treatments exhibited dynamic breathability and sweat absorption changing with temperature and relative humidity of body or environment. Moreover, nanocomposite application enhanced rigidity, tear strength, anti-felting and weight loss performances of the wool fabric. 20 wt% CNW concentration can be suggested for thermal comfort, mechanical and end use performance enhancements to obtain smart garments having dynamic responsiveness to both body physiological and environmental changes. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 137, 48674.     

BOOK REVIEW

Book reviewed in this article:
Finishing and wool fabric properties — a guide to the theory and practice of finishing woven wool fabrics, Ed. P R Brady (Australian CSIRO Wool Technology, 1997)     

Effect of atmospheric pressure helium plasma on felting and low temperature dyeing of wool

Wool fabrics were treated with atmospheric pressure helium glow discharge plasma in an attempt to improve felting and dyeing behavior with cold brand reactive dyes using cold pad‐batch method at neutral pH. On glow plasma treatment, the hydrophilicity of wool surface and its resistance toward felting was greatly improved without any significant damage to the cuticle layer. The color strength of the plasma treated dyed wool on the surface (in terms of K/S) was found to be nearly double of the color strength of dyed untreated wool fabric. However, the corresponding total dye uptake of the treated wool increased by a much lower value of 40%–50%. The reason behind this altered dyeing behavior was investigated by studying the dye kinetics using infinite bath and surface characteristics using SEM and SIMS. It was found that the glow plasma treatment greatly transformed the chemical surface of the wool fibers. It resulted in uniform removal of hydrophobic cuticular layer, which resulted in better diffusion of the dye molecules into the fiber, and formation of hydrophilic ? NH₂ groups near the surface, which helped in anchoring the dye molecules close to the surface giving higher color strength than expected. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Novel feature of nano‐titanium dioxide on textiles: Antifelting and antibacterial wool

In this study, the antifelting and antibacterial features of wool samples treated with nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) were evaluated. To examine the antifelting properties of the treated samples, the fabric shrinkage after washing was determined. The antimicrobial activity was assessed through the calculation of bacterial reduction against Escherichia coli (Gram‐negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram‐positive) bacteria. TiO₂ was stabilized on the wool fabric surface by means of carboxylic acids, including citric acid (CA) and butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). Both oxidized samples with potassium permanganate and nonoxidized wool fabrics were used in this study. The relations between both the TiO₂ and carboxylic acid concentrations in the impregnated bath and the antifelting and antibacterial properties are discussed. With increasing concentration in the impregnated bath, the amount of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of the wool increased; subsequently, lower shrinkage and higher antibacterial properties were obtained. The existence of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of the treated samples was proven with scanning electron microscopy images and energy‐dispersive spectrometry. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Pilling in cellulosic fabrics,Part 2: A study on kinetics of pilling in alkali‐treated lyocell fabrics

As pilling in textiles originates from many factors, the kinetic of pilling formation play an important role in the investigation and approaches of pilling. The single jersey‐knitted lyocell fabrics were treated with different alkaline solution concentrations and submitted to Rapid Pilling Test—a wet‐state Martindale test for cellulosic fabrics performed with increasing abrasion cycles. After each type of cycles, the pilling density was microscopically counted, and then pilling was visually rated. The changes in fiber properties were followed by water retention values (WRV), fibers swelling, fiber wet abrasion resistance (NSF), and fibers tenacity/elongation in wet and in dry states. The kinetics of pill formation—quantified by pills/cm²—occurred in the following steps: pills are promptly formed at first abrasion cycles, reached the pill plateau cycles, and are self‐removed from the fabric surface. The untreated and alkali‐treated lyocell fabrics followed a similar trend of pill formation. However, the pilling propensity is distinct depending on the concentrations. The changes in the swollen state of fiber properties and fiber–fiber friction mainly determined the pill kinetics in lyocell fabrics. The kinetic model aims to figure out the pilling mechanism and the appropriate treatment for pilling resistance. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Modification of surface properties of wool fabric with linde type a nano‐zeolite

Wool is a naturally occurring composite fiber consisting of keratin and keratin‐associated proteins as the key molecular components. The outermost surface of wool comprises a lipid layer that renders the surface hydrophobic, which hinders certain fabric processing steps and moisture management properties of wool fabrics. In this study, Linde Type A (LTA) nano‐zeolite (a Na⁺‐, Ca²⁺‐, and K⁺‐exchanged type A zeolite) was integrated onto the surface of wool using 3‐mercaptopropyl trimethoxy silane as a bridging agent. The resultant surface morphology, hydrophilicity, and mechanical performance of the treated wool fabrics were evaluated. Notably, the surface hydrophilicity of wool increased dramatically. When wool was treated with a dispersion of 1 wt % zeolite and 0.2 wt % silane, the water contact angle decreased from an average value of 148° to 50° over a period of approximately 5 min. Scanning electron microscopic imaging indicated good coverage of the wool surface with zeolite particles, and infrared spectroscopic evaluation demonstrated strong bonding of the zeolite to wool keratins. The zeolite application showed no adverse effects on the tensile and other mechanical properties of the fabric. This study indicates that zeolite‐based treatment is potentially an efficient approach to increasing the surface hydrophilicity and modifying other key surface properties such as softness of wool and wool fabrics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42392.