The Effect of pH on Wool Fiber Diameter and Fabric Dimensions

Qing li, Peter Rex Brady, Xungai Wang

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Wool fabrics are often treated under conditions of varying pH in dyeing and finishing processes. It is known that in air the dimensions of wool fabrics change with the amount of fiber swelling at different regain. In this work, it has been shown that a similar relationship between fiber swelling and fabric dimensions existed in water at different pH values. The diameters of Merino and Corriedale wool fibers in water at different pH values were measured with an OFDA 2000 fiber diameter analyzer, fitted with a specially constructed accessory liquid cell. The results showed that the mean diameters of swollen wool fibers in water varied with pH. Minimum swelling was obtained in the range pH 5-7. It was found that the dimensions of wool fabric in water were dependent on the pH. The changes in fiber diameter in water could be attributed to changes in ionic interactions between charged acid and basic groups in wool protein with variations in pH.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)953-957
Number of pages5
JournalTextile Research Journal
Volume79
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • fabric formation
  • fiber
  • finishing
  • testing
  • yarn

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Polymers and Plastics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Effect of pH on Wool Fiber Diameter and Fabric Dimensions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this