Investigating physical and comfort properties of cotton and polyester fabrics coated with muscovite mineral particles

In this research, the physical and comfort properties of cotton and polyester fabrics treated with muscovite minerals were investigated. First, muscovite microparticles were dispersed in a chitosan solution and then the muscovite suspension was coated on plain cotton and knitted polyester fabrics. The effect of the presence and content value of muscovite particles on the morphological and chemical properties of processed fabrics was studied. For this purpose, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used. The morphological study of treated fabrics shows the presence of muscovite particles in the space between the fibers and also on the surface of the fibers of the investigated fabrics. To evaluate the surface properties and comfort performance of the fabrics, the water contact angle, sliding angle, and air permeability tests were carried out. Also, the softness and comfort of the fabrics were investigated using bending length and wrinkle recovery angle analysis. The obtained results indicate that the addition of muscovite particles to the polyester fabric increased the hydrophilic property and did not have much effect on the air permeability, handling properties, and wrinkle resistance. While in the case of cotton fabric, the sliding angle of water is reduced by 66% and the surface of the fabric becomes hydrophobic. The air permeability has also been reduced by 30% and the comfort performance of the textile has also been affected. The statistical analysis of the data obtained from the above tests indicated the significance of the data at the confidence level of 95%.