Quality of Cotton and cotton/elastane Single Jersey Knitted Fabrics before and after Softening and in Situ Synthesis of Cu-based Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT

The quality of cotton and cotton/elastane single jersey knitted fabrics before and after softening was evaluated through their mechanical properties, pilling, and volume electrical resistivity. Elastane-containing fabrics have higher bursting elongation and stiffness, lower bursting strength, the same or higher pilling grade, and 23–27% lower electrical resistivities compared to 100% cotton due to the increased compactness that enables better contact between the loops, and easier flow of charge through them. Softening does not affect or slightly improves the fabric pilling (up to 1000 cycles); it decreases fabrics’ stiffness and increases their bursting strength and electrical resistivities. The last one was significantly decreased after the in situ synthesis of Cu-based nanoparticles on fabrics’ surfaces. Namely, fabrics were first treated with sodium alginate whose carboxylate groups crosslinked Cu²⁺-ions (from CuSO₄ solution) that were further reduced with ascorbic acid. In situ synthesis of Cu-based nanoparticles (detected by FESEM) improves the fabrics’ quality and enables obtaining multifunctional fabrics having 3.4–9.6 times lower resistivities, which are in line with the content of Cu after reduction (determined using ICP-OES), up to 2.5 times higher antioxidant activity and provided maximum microbial reduction for E. Coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans.

抽象的

通过力学性能、起球性能和体积电阻率, 对柔软前后棉和棉/弹性纤维针织物的质量进行了评价. 与100%棉相比, 含弹性纤维的织物具有更高的断裂伸长率和刚度, 更低的断裂强度, 相同或更高的起球等级, 以及更低的23-27%的电阻率, 这是因为增加了紧密度, 使得线圈之间能够更好地接触, 并且更容易通过线圈进行电荷流动. 柔软不会影响或略微改善织物起球(最多1000次); 它降低了织物的刚度, 增加了织物的耐破强度和电阻率. 在织物表面原位合成铜基纳米颗粒后, 最后一个显著降低. 也就是说, 首先用海藻酸钠对织物进行处理, 海藻酸钠的羧基交联了Cu2+离子(来自CuSO4溶液), 然后用抗坏血酸进一步还原. 原位合成铜基纳米颗粒(通过FESEM检测) 提高了织物的质量, 并能够获得电阻率降低3.4-9.6倍的多功能织物, 其与还原后的铜含量(使用ICP-OES测定)一致, 抗氧化活性高达2.5倍, 并为大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和白色念珠菌提供了最大限度的微生物还原.

KEYWORDS:

• Cotton
• elastane
• softener
• Cu-based nanoparticles
• mechanical properties
• antioxidant and antimicrobial activity

关键词:

• 棉
• 弹性纤维
• 柔软剂
• 铜基纳米颗粒
• 力学性能
• 抗氧化和抗菌活性

Highlights

1. Cotton/elastane knitted fabrics have higher bursting elongation and stiffness, lower bursting strength, the same or higher pilling grade, and 23–27% lower electrical resistivities compared to 100% cotton fabrics.

2. Softening with cationic softener does not affect or slightly improves the fabric pilling; it decreases fabrics’ stiffness and increases their bursting strength and electrical resistivities.

3. Knitted fabrics’ resistivity was significantly decreased after the in situ synthesis of Cu-based nanoparticles on their surfaces.

4. In situ synthesis of Cu-based nanoparticles improves the fabrics’ quality and enables obtaining multifunctional fabrics having 3.4-9.6 times lower resistivities, up to 2.5 times higher antioxidant activity and provided maximum microbial reduction for E. Coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 451-03-68/2022-14/200287, 451-03-68/2022-14/200135) for funding the study. The authors also thank Biljana Dojčinović (University of Belgrade, Institute of Chemistry, Technology, and Metallurgy) for the determination of the total content of Cu after reduction.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author statement

The manuscript entitled: “Quality of cotton and cotton/elastane single jersey knitted fabrics before and after softening and in situ synthesis of Cu-based nanoparticles” has not been published elsewhere and it has not been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [451-03-68/2022-14/200135,451-03-68/2022-14/200287].