Moth proofing of wool fabric using nano kaolinite

Abstract

Woollen products are susceptible to the attack of wool moth. An attempt was made to impart anti moth property to woollen fabric using nano kaolinite, an aluminium silicate mineral based of natural origin. The treatment of nano kaolinite on wool fabric was conducted both at room temperature and 80 °C for the optimization of the process. The characterization of nano kaolinite as well as nano kaolinite-coated wool fabric was performed with various analytical techniques. Moth proofing performance of nano kaolinite-coated wool fabric against Anthrenus verbasci was investigated through assessing wool weight loss and number of moth alive after the incubation period of 15 days. It was found that 1.0% nano kaolinite treatment at room temperature treatment is found to be more effective than high-temperature treatment in terms of weight loss and mortality rate of wool moth. The results were compared with a commercial anti moth agent.

Keywords:

• Nano kaolinite
• anti moth
• contact toxicity
• moth repellent
• nano technology

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the supply of nano clay from M/s EICL LIMITED, Kerala, India for the research work.