Multifunction Finishing and Pigment Printing of UV Cured Cotton/Polyester Fabrics Coated with Plasticized Epoxy Resin/ZnO Formulation

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

 COTTON/ POLYESTER fabrics were coated with epoxy acrylate (EA) formulations plasticized by castor oil (CO), in the presence of benzophenone as initiator, ZnO (antibacterial agent) and pigment printing. Ultra violet (UV) irradiation was used as a curing system. The effect of UV irradiation time and CO percentage on the mechanical and crease recovery properties were investigated. The effect of the coating process on the cross-section feature by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), the antibacterial properties, water retardance, colour difference and the durability for washing of the coated fabrics were also investigated. From the results, it was found that the crease recovery and antibacterial properties were enhanced. Also, the colour durability against multiple washing cycles gave adequate results after application of the investigated coating formulation. The most fitting castor oil per cent was found to be 45%, while the 3% ZnO recorded the best antibacterial and mechanical properties. The pigment per cent that gave the highest durability and adequate colour strength was 0.6%.

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