Investigations on the effects of UV Finishes using Titanium Dioxide on Silk and Lyocell Union Fabrics

摘要

The increased incidence of skin cancer in recent years has resulted in investigations on the effects of UV radiation. An attempt has been made to produce UV-resist fabrics using Titanium dioxide in lyocell and silk union fabrics. The treated and untreated samples are characterized using using SEM/EDS and FTIR. The effectiveness of the treatment is assessed using the standardized tests, such as UV-Vis spectrophotometry and the calculation of the ultraviolet protection factor both before and after washing of the treated samples. It is found that TiO2 as a UV finish can be efficiently given to silk and lyocell union fabrics. The UV tests indicate a significant improvement in the UV absorbing activity in the TiO2 treated fabrics. Samples treated with UV finish showed good fastness properties up to 25 washes. The effect of UV finish on air permeability, absorbency, wickability, tensile strength, crease recovery and drapability was also observed. UV finished fabrics show a marginal decrease in tensile strength, absorbency, crease recovery and air permeability.