Low-Formaldehyde Hydrophobic Cum Crease Resistant Finishing of Woven Silk Fabric

In the present study, a low-formaldehyde based hydrophobic cum crease resistant finishing of woven silk fabric was developed with a comparison of three commercially available cross-linkers (i.e., Knittex RCT (R), Fixapret ECO (R) and Reaknitt EC (R)). The treatment parameters of cross-liker types and their concentrations were investigated in relation to the crease recovery angle (CRA), contact angle, tensile strength and air permeability of the silk fabric. The highest CRA of 265 degrees was observed for the Reaknitt EC (R) treated silk fabric and for the untreated silk fabric it was 165 degrees. The contact angle generally increased with increasing of the cross-liker concentration; and amongst the all the cross-linkers considered, Fixapret ECO (R) treated fabric exhibited the highest contact angle of 134.59 degrees, whereas that of untreated was zero. The finishing additionally improved the air permeability of treated silk fabric with fair whiteness. The treated silk fabrics, however, showed a loss in tensile strength with an increase in concentration for all three types of cross-linkers. Scanning electron microscopy showed the impregnation of the finish into the treated silk fabric.