Providing antibacterial activity to cotton knitted fabrics using chemicals derived from linseed oil

Demands for more sustainable use of textile products having antimicrobial activity inspired the development of the plant-based Devan® BI-OME NTL product. In this thesis, the BI-OME NTL antimicrobial chemical was used. The growing demand for antimicrobial products and their natural structure and the lack of literature on this topic, was considered. The active ingredient in BI-OME NTL is linseed oil, obtained from the dried, ripe seeds of the flax plant. In the study, this chemical was applied to a 2x1 cotton/elastane rib knitted fabric, a popular choice for women's clothing. Hydrophilic micro silicone was also used to increase the penetration of the antimicrobial chemical into the fabric and provide extra softness. Three different fabrics, untreated fabric, fabric with an antibacterial finish, and fabric with an antibacterial finish + hydrophilic silicone, were compared for various physical properties. Their antibacterial performance was evaluated. Both antibacterial finished fabric and fabric with antibacterial finish + hydrophilic silicon were determined to have over 99.9% antibacterial activity after five washes. After ten washes, antibacterial finished fabric had an antibacterial activity of 98.79%. The fabric with antibacterial finish + hydrophilic silicone was determined to have over 99.9% antibacterial activity. The antibacterial finishing treatment did not cause any difference in terms of mass per unit area, pilling, circular bending rigidity, water absorption properties and or color differences, but increased bursting strength and reduced air permeability. In the application of antibacterial finish + hydrophilic silicone, the degree of fabric pilling was increased, and a decrease in circular bending rigidity was measured.