Antibacterial Finishing of Linen Fabrics by Combination with Nano-Aluminum Oxide and Crosslinking Agent

Linen is an important natural fiber in cellulosic structure and different chemical processes can be applied on the linen based textile materials. In this study, a concept constituted of different finishing processes was presented. Crease recovery and meanwhile anti-bacterial properties were carried out simultaneously. For crease recovery; modified glyoxylic resin containing catalyst and for gaining antibacterial efficiency; nano-aluminum oxide were used in combination. Then, the amount of the nano-aluminum oxide in the recipe was analyzed in terms of crease resistance efficiencies, and anti-bacterial efficiencies against two different bacteria E. coli and S. aureus. It was observed that the addition of the nano-aluminum oxide to the recipe of the crease resistant process has a positive effect on the wrinkle recovery performances. Moreover, above the concentration of 10(3) ppm nano-aluminum oxide in the recipe, the anti-bacterial activity against S. aureus was started to occur. However if the concentration become to 5x10(4) ppm, both in E. coli and S. aureus bacteria solution a significant bacterial reduction appeared. Moreover the durability of the obtained features was tested and it was observed that the obtained features were durable for the 5 cycle of washings as well.