Coating mulberry (Bombyx mori) silk fabric with fibroin based nanoparticles
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Textile industries in 21st century was experiencing the benefits of
nanotechnology in multiple fields of application. Nanotechnology overcomed the limitation
of traditional process and technology by incorporating many functional properties such as
fabric softness, durability, breathability, antimicrobial, water repellency, fire retardancy,
ultra violet protection properties etc., to the textile world. It dealt with those properties of
materials which could change incredibly when the particle size of the material had fall
below approximately 100nm. Application of conventional method to the fibre, yarn or
fabric would lose their function and comfort gradually while wearing or laundering. But
imparting of nanotechnology to fibre, yarn or fabric would provide resistance to functional
properties because, nano particles have large surface area to volume ratio and high surface
energy. Coating of mulberry silk fabric with fibroin based nanoparticles would help in
protecting skin as well as the mulberry silk fabric from the harmful UV rays. Further the
life of fibroin coated mulberry silk might increase due to UV protection. Therefore, an
attempt had been made to coat mulberry silk fabric with fibroin based nanoparticles
from muga silk.
The present research work was carried out on, ―Coating mulberry
(Bombyx mori) silk fabric with fibroin based nanoparticles‖ With the following
objectives:
1. To coat mulberry silk fabric with fibroin based muga nano particles.
2. To expose the fibroin coated mulberry silk fabric in UV light chamber.
3. To assess the properties of mulberry silk fabric before and after fibroin nano
coating.
Two sources for coating mulberry silk fabric namely fibroin from muga
silk and zinc oxide were selected for the study. Synthesis of fibroin nanoparticles,
coating method, fibroin concentration and zinc oxide concentration were optimized.
During coating in all the processes material to liquor ratio (1:20) was kept constant.
Coating method, fibroin concentration and zinc oxide concentration were optimized,
based on the UPF value obtained from the test sample before and after coating.
The coated mulberry silk fabric with fibroin and fibroin + zinc oxide
indicated very good protection against UV radiation with UPF value 50.78 and 77.19,
respectively. The other important properties of coated samples were also very
satisfactory. The properties like tensile strength, air permeability, wicking height,
stiffness, thickness, crease recovery angle of coated samples decreased due to coating,
which was negligible. For example, the tensile strength of controlled sample was 22.28
kgf and 34.60 kgf in warp and weft respectively whereas only fibroin coated sample
increased its strength 7.02% in warp direction and 15.58% in weft direction. But the
fibroin + zinc oxide coated sample showed decreased strength in warp direction (13.20
kgf) and increased strength in weft direction (53.60 kgf). Air permeability was related to
comfort property of fabric. In the present investigation air permeability of controlled
sample is 0.102 KPaS/m where as fibroin coated fabric showed 0.094 KPaS/m and
fibroin + zinc oxide coated fabric showed 0.073 KPaS/m. It could be confirmed that,
these nano particles coating did not affect the comfort property of the fabric. Besides
these, wash durability of coated fabric was also found to be good. Fibroin coated
samples could resist UPF up to 10 washings and fibroin + zinc oxide coated silk fabric
could resist UPF up to 15 washings.
Hence, from the study it was found that, fibroin and fibroin + zinc oxide
could be effectively used for coating mulberry silk fabric. It protected the mulberry silk
fabric as well as our skin from the harmful ultraviolet radiation.