INVESTIGATION OF ACRYLIC/COTTON SINGLE JERSEY KNITTED FABRICS TREATED WITH TITANIUM DIOXIDE (TiO2) 2 ) NANOPARTICLES

Acrylic fibers have advantageous properties such as durability, wear resistance, and high ultraviolet resistance. Its blends with cotton are becoming increasingly common in the textile field. However, new antimicrobial substances are of great interest. Metal oxide nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) are considered an attractive antimicrobial compound. Nevertheless, treatment with TiO2 is expected to affect the properties of the treated fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Wicking properties for fabrics produced with treated Acrylic fibers are hence expected to be influenced. This paper is dedicated to studying the effect of changing the blending ratios of Acrylic fibers blended with cotton fibers and the effect of the addition of TiO2 on the fiber properties, the yarn properties, and the knitted fabric wicking properties. It is shown that the mechanical properties of the yarns are affected by the blending ratio and the addition of the TiO2. The wicking abilities of fabrics increased with the increase in Acrylic content in the blends, either with or without the addition of TiO2<not sign>. Furthermore, a utility concept system for the development and evaluation of the multi-criteria fabrics selection of the best blend is used and tested. The research work presents a significant contribution to study the comfort of fabrics especially for sportswear, where cotton/acrylic blends show an increasing importance.