Antimicrobial finishing of knitted cotton fabrics with nano-silicone acrylate emulsion containing silver

In order to prepare antibacterial knitted cotton fabric,we used nano-silicone acrylate emulsion which contained silver ions to finish knitted cotton fabric.The effects of liquor ratio,pH value,curing temperature and time on the antibacterial effect of the finished cotton were investigated,and bacteria inhibiting ratio was used as evaluation index of the antibacterial effect of the treated fabric.The optimal antimicrobial finishing process conditions were determined by single-factor test,i.e.,liquor ratio 1∶50,pH=5,curing temperature 160 ℃,curing time 180 s.The whiteness,mechanical properties,permeability,antibacterial effect,and washing durability of the finished fabric were tested.The results show that the inhibiting ratio against S.aureus and E.coli was more than 99%,the bacteria inhibiting ratio of the fabric maintained above 80% after 30 washing cycles,its bursting strength kept at 81%,whiteness was down 12.3%,and permeability reduced by 15%.