Volume 85, August 2015, Pages 221–229
Antimicrobial and insect-resist wool fabrics by coating with microencapsulated antimicrobial and insect-resist agents
Highlights
- •
- Antimicrobial and insect-resist agents were encapsulated with different polymers.
- •
- The microcapsules were bonded to wool fabric surface by polyamide/silicone resins.
- •
- The polylactide-encapsulated-clothianidin showed the best insect-resist performance.
- •
- Poly(dimethylhydroxypropylammonium chloride) showed the best antimicrobial activity.
- •
- The developed treatments were durable to at least 10 washings.
Abstract
In
this work, various types of antimicrobial and insect-resist agents were
microencapsulated by several techniques to minimise their toxicity to
humans. The microencapsulated antimicrobial and insect-resist agents
were applied to wool fabrics by a pad-dry-bake method, and their
performance was assessed in accordance with standard methods. The
durability of the treatments to ageing and washing was evaluated. It was
found that the antimicrobial and insect resist agents migrated to the
outer surface of the capsules during ageing. Of the antimicrobial agents
investigated, poly(N,N-dimethyl-2-hydroxypropylammonium) chloride or
Barquat PQ 2 encapsulated with polylactic acid showed the best overall
antibacterial performance after 10 cycles of International Wool
Secretariat (IWS) 7A washing and also after ageing. The clothianidin
insecticide encapsulated with polylactic acid showed the best
insect-resist performance according to Wools of New Zealand Test Method
25 at a level of 50 ppm, passing this test method even after 10 cycles
of washing. The washed fabric showed 85% insect mortality and the mean
wool mass loss was only 4.6 mg. The fabric handle properties were only
slightly affected by the treatments. The developed methods may find
application in industry as they are quite durable to washing.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Microencapsulation;
- Wool fabric;
- Coating;
- Antimicrobial;
- Insect-resist;
- Durability
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+64 3 321 8755; fax: +64 3 321 8811.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
