Comparison of biopolymer finishing with functional finishing on wool fibre

Abstract

Wool: cotton union fabric has been applied with chitosan biopolymer to impart shrink-proof finish and its performance is compared with two synthetic polymer finishes. Results show that chitosan forms thin film on the surface of wool fibre as in synthetic finishing polymer. The diffusion of chitosan biopolymer inside the wool fibre matrix is found to be better than synthetic polymer, which is confirmed by the cross-sectional view of finished wool fibre. It is concluded that chitosan biopolymer could be preferred over other synthetic polymer to prevent shrinkage of woollen textiles.