Ultra thin coating technology offers new opportunities for cotton finishing. As to the University of Georgia (UGA), Athens where a seminar on “Sustainable Materials: Mind to Market,†was held recently at the department of textiles, merchandising and interiors there, it was obvious how interdisciplinary research is vital to move the textiles sector forward.
Professors Sergiy Minko and Suraj Sharma of the department of textiles, merchandising and interiors at UGA are exploiting nanotechnology to develop sustainable dyeing and finishing techniques for cotton textiles. The research group has come-up with nanocellulose gels that can be used to dye cotton and blends.
Nanocellulose gels obtained from bleached pulp are dyed to obtain nanocellulose-dye dispersions, which are then coated on to textiles. Spray coating and screen printing methods can be used to obtain the coloration using the gels.
Anuradhi Liyanapathiranage, a research scholar from Sri Lanka, working on the project stated that pretreatments such as scouring and bleaching do not affect the dyeing efficiency. Smriti Rai from India has effectively utilised the ultrathin coating technology to dye cotton using reactive and indigo dyes. The gel technology uses less water and the dye fixation is higher than the exhaust method, stated Smriti Rai.
The research group is optimistic that cost-effective sustainable processes can be made commercially viable, which can move the textile industry into the next phase.
New cotton finishing technology
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