Long-lasting UV protection and mosquito repellent finish on bamboo/tencel blended fabric with microencapsulated essential oil

Abstract

In this study, bamboo/tencel 50:50 blended fabric has been used for microencapsulation finishing by essential oil combination using exhaustion method in order to enhance the wash durability of the fabric. The three shell materials, namely sodium alginate, <i>Acacia arabica</i> and <i>Moringa oleifera</i> gum and three core materials like thyme oil, cypress oil and grapefruit oils in combination of 2:1:1 have been used. Then the fabrics are tested for functional properties like UV protection and mosquito repellency, and also the fabric is analyzed for allergic test. The result shows that the <i>Moringa oleifera</i> shell finished fabric has very good activity in both the functional property and there is no allergic reaction found. The durability can also be achieved up to 30 washes by using <i>Moringa oliefera</i> gum material as compared to other two.