An Analysis of Anti-Microbial Finish on Cotton Fabric by Using Zinc Oxide

Abstract

Antimicrobial finishing prevents or inhibits the growth of microorganisms or microbes. Antimicrobials do not all work the same. The vast majority of antimicrobials work by leaching or moving from the surface on which they are applied. This is the mechanism used by leaching antimicrobials to poison a microorganism. Such chemicals have been used for decades in agricultural applications with mixed results. Besides affecting durability and useful life, leaching technologies have the potential to cause a variety of other problems when used in garments. These include their negative effects because; they can contact the skin and potentially affect the normal skin bacteria, cross the skin barrier, and/or have the potential to cause rashes and other skin irritations. In this project, ZnO is mainly used for improving the anti-microbial finish. This ZnO is much cheaper than silver nitrate. The testing of the finished fabric was also carried out.