Abstract:
This research relates the chemical finishing of cotton fabrics for body-odor control, antibacterial and UV-blocking properties. Woven fabric (dyed and undyed) and knitted (dyed) cotton fabrics were treated with both β-cyclodextrin and nano zinc oxide, and also treated individually, using padding and exhaustion techniques followed by a fixation were tested for their performance on body-odor control, antibacterial and UV-blocking, as well as other fabric properties. For odor-control finishing, dyed knitted-fabric that finished with a combination of cyclodextrin and nano zinc oxide showed the best performance on body-odor control (decreasing the body-odor from the strongest level to the moderate level) and chemicals on fabric were durable to at least 3 laundering cycles. For antibacterial finishing dyed knitted-fabric that finished with both chemicals and finished with only nano zinc oxide showed high to highest antibacterial properties (99% reduction of bacterial) while for woven, finished dyed fabrics showed better antibacterial property than finished undyed fabrics. Unfortunately, most nano zinc oxide finished fabrics showed undurable to laundering. For UV-blocking finishing dyed knitted-fabric that finished with both chemicals and finished with only nano zinc oxide showed excellent UV-blocking property (UPF100) In terms of finishing techniques, results indicate an ultrasonic system or a high mechanical action was required for nano zinc oxide finishing of cotton fabric in odor to prevent an agglomeration of nano particles and to increase the finishing efficiency.