Enzymatic Treatments on Tencel in Water and Microemulsion

Tencel is a relatively new fabric, obtained from wood pulp, that looks like natural cotton. In order to be suitable for commercial purposes, Tencel must be processed to improve its qualities. In this paper we report our studies on the enzymatic defibrillation of Tencel, in which we checked the different behavior of the same set of enzymes dispersed in pure water and in a microemulsion system. Surface properties, such as scanning electron microscopy, contact angle, porosimetry, breaking load, and thickness, were determined, in order to monitor the surface modification of the fabric upon enzymatic defibrillation, and indicate that the process is more efficient and less damaging when carried out in the microemulsion medium. Furthermore, we chemically modified Tencel by attaching fluorinated chains to the fabric surface. Surface properties show that fluorination of Tencel leads to a high degree of water- and oil-repellency in the fabric. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.