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Antimicrobial agents are applied on textiles to suppress growth of microorganism, odour generation as well as its deterioration. Cotton fabric was finished with three different types of antimicrobial agents (1) Ultrafresh NMV2: a triclosan based product, (2) N9 Pure silver: a dispersion of pure silver metal, and (3) chitosan to develop antimicrobial characteristics. Finished fabrics were evaluated for their effectiveness against Gram positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) in terms of percentage reduction in CFU of bacteria. The influence of finishing methods, via. pad-dry and pad-dry-cure followed by repeated launderings, concentrations of antibacterial agents, and pH were optimised. The antimicrobial performance was evaluated prior to laundering and after each five laundering cycles; results were statistically analysed and effects on physical properties of the finished fabric were also evaluated. Triclosan was found to be significantly effective at low concentrations, whereas silver showed remarkably good antimicrobial activity at or above 10 g/L and chitosan was comparably less active compared to others. Cyclic laundering showed statistically significant effect on activity of finishes up to five cycles but it was almost reduced to half for chitosan.

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The use of gluconic acid as a ligand for complexing iron(II) salts and for vat dyeing of cotton has been reported previously. The present paper reports the observations on the use of iron(II) salts complexed with such ligands as tartaric acid and citric acid for the reduction of indigo at room temperature and subsequent cotton dyeing. This study includes the measurement of reduction potentials of various iron complexes, their effect on dye uptake and the deposition of iron on dyed fabric.

Cotton apparels possess inherent tendency to form wrinkles under external stress. Conventionally selective cross-linking agents in presence of specific catalyst are applied on cotton to supress formation of creases or wrinkles via pad-dry-cure technique at high curing temperature under acidic conditions imparting stability and elasticity to the fabric. Extensive research carried out in this field identifies invariable deterioration in mechanical properties of finished cotton. In this study, two different cross-linking agents, i.e. modified DMDHEU and citric acid working on etherification and esterification crosslinking reaction with cellulose respectively were applied on cotton through selection of factors using Box Behnken experimental design in conjunction with response surface analysis and regression methods to study their DP ratings as well as other mechanical properties. Significant factors were further drastically narrowed down to reach to most specific concentrations of cross-linker, catalyst as well as other chemicals along with finishing parameters. It was found that modified DMDHEU performed better in terms of DP rating as well as overall physical properties as compared to those obtained with citric acid.

Infusion of textiles with aromatic essential oils makes them immense value enriched for the aesthetic dominated fashion consumers to attain cosmeto-therapeutic and medicinal benefits. However, longevity of aroma on the textile with the time passage and subsequent launderings is a major concern for researchers and consumers too. In this work, essential oils of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Lavender, Jasmine, Clove and Cedarwood were applied directly on cotton as well as with anchoring hosts as cyclodextrin in native and modified form viz. monochlorotriazine-β-cyclodextrin (MCT-βCD) to assess their stability of retention on the fabric surface. The release rate of oils, in isolation, had revealed the disappearance of fragrances rapidly with time as a result of weak physical forces between essential oils and textile surfaces in the absence of any anchoring hosts. MCT-β-CD showed enhanced fragrance stability with added advantage of exhibiting no major change in tensile strength, stiffness and air permeability of cotton.

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