Abstract:

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^®, Fixapret ECO^® and Reaknitt EC^®). 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° was observed for the Reaknitt EC^® treated silk fabric and for the untreated silk fabric it was 165°. The contact angle generally increased with increasing of the cross-liker concentration; and amongst the all the  cross-linkers considered, Fixapret ECO^® treated fabric exhibited the highest contact angle of 134.59°, 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.