Shrink resist treatment of wool using VUV excimer lamp

摘要

A shrink resist finish for wool has been developed based on exposure of fabric to 172 nm excimer lamp radiation followed by application of a PU based polymer. VUV irradiation of wool was carried out in air, oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere. Treated wool was characterised in terms of surface morphology by SEM analysis and surface chemistry by FTIR and EDX analyses. Change in wetting, stiffness, tensile strength and air permeability of samples was studied. Results show that change in gas does not affect the properties obtained. Wool treated with UV excimer lamp for 10-15 min followed by application of 5gpl of Synthappret BAP shows shrinkage of about 8%, thus meeting the criteria for "machine washable" wool. Strength loss of 12-14% is observed in the samples but thickness, softness and air permeability of wool fabric remain nearly unchanged after the treatment.