Development of Advanced Textile Finishes Using Nano-Emulsions from Herbal Extracts for Organic Cotton Fabrics

Abstract

The development of textile finishing with improved functional properties has been a growing interest among industry and scientists worldwide. The recent global pandemic also enhanced the awareness amongst many toward improved hygiene and the use of antimicrobial textiles. Generally, natural herbal components are known to possess antimicrobial properties which are green and eco-friendly. This research reports a novel and innovative method of developing and optimising nano-emulsions using two combinations of herbal extracts produced from Moringa oleifera, curry leaf, coconut oil (nano-emulsion 1) and other using Aegle marmelos with curry leaf and coconut oil (nano-emulsion 2). Nano-emulsions were optimised for their pH, thermal stability, and particle size, and percentage add-on. Organic cotton fabrics (20 and 60 gsm) were finished with nano-emulsions using continuous and batch processes and characterised for their surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The finished fabrics were evaluated for their Whiteness Index, assessed for antimicrobial resistance against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) using AATCC 100 and 147 methods. In addition, fabrics were assessed for their antifungal efficacy (AATCC 30), tensile strength and air permeability. Results suggested that finished organic fabrics with nano-emulsions had antimicrobial resistance, antifungal, wash fastness after 20 washing cycles, and sufficient strength. This novel finishing method suggests that organic cotton fabrics treated with nano-emulsions can be used as a durable antimicrobial textile for healthcare and hygiene textiles.

Novel antimicrobial finishing of organic cotton fabrics using nano-emulsions derived from Karanja and Gokhru plants

“…However, there was a marginal decrease in particle size when the oil-to-surfactant ratio increased from 1:1 to 1:2. Like in previous research, 65 active antioxidants in herbs reduce the particle size. The addition of the surfactant also reduces the particle size.…”

Exploring Ultrasonic‐Assisted Extraction and Eco‐Friendly Dyeing of Organic Cotton using Syzygium cumini Leaf Extracts

“…The dyed fabric sample illustrates the peaks at cm −1 (OH stretching vibration), 2331 cm −1 (CO stretching), 1617 and 1541 cm −1 (C−C stretching), and 1025 cm −1 (C−C stretching). However, the colored sample′s peak intensity was lower than the raw fabric′s, indicating the chemical interaction of dye and fiber respectively, and the C−O−C bond of β‐(1,4) glycosidic linkages were identified at 894 cm −1 [54] …”

“…However, the colored sample's peak intensity was lower than the raw fabric's, indicating the chemical interaction of dye and fiber respectively, and the CÀ OÀ C bond of β-(1,4) glycosidic linkages were identified at 894 cm À 1 . [54]…”

Atmospheric plasma treatments of cashmere: The role of nanoscale sizing in the spray coating processing

“…Several natural and synthetic polymer substrates and fibers have been the subject of studies aimed at improving surface performances and different functionalities (Heinzel and Stewart, 2021) through nanoscale processing, like, for instance, nanocoatings (Dell'Orto et al, 2014), nano-structuring (Saleem and Zaidi, 2020), as well as the 10.3389/fmats.2022.987608 incorporation of nanoparticles (Radetić and Marković, 2019). Different nanotechnologies are employed, some of which are sol-gel (Abramova et al, 2020), plasma etching (Porto et al, 2019), plasma deposition (Zanini et al, 2018b), grafting of specific chemical groups (Zanini et al, 2016b), and several wet treatments (Venkatraman et al, 2021).…”