Anti-UV and anti-microbial properties of some natural dyes on cotton

摘要

Various natural dye powders have been evaluated for protection against UV radiation and microbial growth on cotton. All the dyes show high absorption in the UV region. When mordants are used, the UV screening effect is enhanced. Most of the dyes also show good bactericidal activity against selected microbes. The activity increases with the increase in concentration of dye. Tannin-based dye Q.infectoria shows good protection against both UV radiation as well as common microbes. Results show that it is possible to develop cotton fabrics having anti-microbial and anti-UV properties using selected natural dyes.