The influence of enzymatic antipilling and softening treatment of knitted cotton fabrics and cotton/polypropylene blends on their aesthetic and functional properties

Abstract

In this work, the effect of enzymatic antipilling and softening treatment of knitted cotton fabrics and cotton/polypropylene blends on their aesthetic and functional properties, especially moisture management ability was investigated. For this purpose, knitted fabrics of 100% cotton and 50/50% cotton/polypropylene were alkaline washed, chemically bleached and dyed using conventional industrial methods. Subsequently, one part of the knitted fabric was softened, the other part was enzymatically treated against peeling and additionally softened. After finishing, the influence of the processes on colour tone change, tendency to peel, and ability to withstand dripping wetness was studied, as these properties significantly affect the quality of garments made from these knitted fabrics. It has been shown that the use of cellulase results in a colour difference, but contributes significantly to the reduction of the tendency to peel. Through the combination of cellulase and softener, Tubingal RSK achieves excellent performance properties and contributes to moisture management in addition to the influence of the polypropylene component.