Ulltrasound Modified Textiles for Multifunctional Protection

Title:                  Ulltrasound Modified Textiles for Multifunctional
Protection
Project funding:  Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
Type:                  Bilateral project CRO-SLO 2009-2011
Coordinator:        Professor Ana Marija Grancarić, PhD

Project Summary:

This project follows tasks of national scientific research projects regarding surface modification of textile, especially synergistic activity of two or three compounds for achieving hydrophilic or hydrophobic textile, as well as protective textile from atmosphere and clime, microorganisms, UV radiation, heat and flame, etc. Slovenian partner use high and low fervency ultrasound for surface modification of textile, where hydroxyl radical, hydroxyl-peroxides radical and hydrogen peroxide as oxidation groups are made by acoustic cavity in aqueous medium. Hydroxyl radicals have high oxidation potential. Therefore they are capable to modify surface of textile material, using local very high temperature and pressure (few thousand degrees and few hundred atmosphere) that additionally affect textile material. In textile pre-treatment different procedures for textile modification are applied, especially on cotton and polyester. Unconventional compounds for scouring, and auxiliaries and additives during mercerization and cationization of cotton were applied. Croatian partner performs modification of polyester materials by hydrolysis of poly(ethylene-terphtalate), PET, using alkali (NaOH) and ethylene-dyamine (EDA) what results in active multifunctional polyester properties. Slovenian partner will apply nanoparticles of antimicrobial silver ions and micro and nanoparticles of natural zeolite to textile materials using ultrasound. In this project will be researched important area of antimicrobial protection modified textile material by ultrasound for achieving high protection by synergism of these compounds in accordance to achieved high results in Croatian national project. Croatian partner research interface phenomena of ultrasound modified cotton and polyester material. This research includes determination of electrokinetic potential, specific amount of surface charge, surface free energy, hydrophilicity and contact angle, and adsorption of ionic surfactants and dyestuffs applying different measuring methods. The fluorescence and whiteness of these materials were determined in Croatia, as well as UV, antimicrobial, antifungi, heat and flame protection according to international standards on sophisticated equipment. Slovenian partner will analyze wastewater after all processes considering ecology requirements (TOC, COD, BOD, toxicity, POPs…). Collaboration of these two work groups, in Croatia and Slovenia, in this bilateral project will fulfil its aim – ultrasound modificated textile for multifunctional protection.

a.	b.	c.	d.
Figure 1: SEM micrographs of PET fibers in – a. untreated fabric; b. zeolite treated fabric; c. ultrasound treated fabric and d. ultrasound treated fabric with zeolite implementation