UV‐protecting and antibacterial finishing of cotton knits

Abstract

Abstract This article deals with enhancing the UV‐protecting properties as well as the antibacterial activity of knitted cotton fabrics against two kinds of bacteria: gram‐positive bacteria (G +ve), i.e., Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) , and gram‐negative bacteria (G −ve), i.e., Escherichia coli (E. coli) . Results showed that the extent of improvement in the UPF values are determined by: the fabric structure, i.e., Interlock > Pique > Parasol, pretreatment history, i.e., gray > scoured > bleached, type of softening agent, incorporation of the UV‐absorber in the softening bath as well as sequence of addition, in addition to the nature of the deposited metal‐oxide, i.e., Cu > Zr > Zn ≫ Al ≈ none. On the other hand, the antibacterial activities of the treated substrates against G +ve and G −ve bacteria are outstandingly improved by using the proper: fabric structure, i.e., Parasol > Interlock > Pique, state of the untreated substrate, i.e., bleached > gray, finishing additives and regime, i.e., soft finishing (using polysiloxame softener—Adasil® SM) and UV‐protecting (using UV‐absorber, Tinofast® CEL) in one step > Tinofast® CEL‐finish > Adasil® SM‐finish > full‐bleaching, as well as deposited metal oxide, i.e., Zn > Cu > Zr > Al > none. Combined soft‐finishing and UV‐cutting as well as in situ deposition of proper metal oxides, onto and/or within the knitted substrates, options exhibited both an excellent UV‐protection and prominent antibacterial activities. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009