Cotton/Protex knitted multifunctional fabrics for undergarments with antibacterial, flame-retardant and thermal...

Knitted protective garments with reliable thermal and functional properties are the subject of intense research. However, achieving both attributes is quite challenging and necessary at the same time, especially when the fabrics are employed for undergarments. Hence, this research aims to develop fire protection clothing liners and undergarment fabrics integrating thermal comfort, fire resistance, antibacterial and antistatic properties.

Knitted textiles have been engineered using two different protective yarns with different blend ratios of cotton and Protex fibers. Two variable plating threads of multifilament and channeled polyester (Sorbtek) were also employed to escort thermal comfort with protective action. Specialty treatments of the fabrics were performed imparting antimicrobial and antistatic properties.

Thermal characterization revealed a noticeable change in fluid transmission and heat retention characteristics with knitting and plating yarn variation. Better fluid transfer and considerable heat retention were observed in Sorbtek plated protective fabrics. However, the flame endurance was improved by reducing the cotton percentage in the primary knitting protective yarns during vertical flame retardancy characterization. Moreover, one-way analysis of variance showed that the treatment component was statistically significant (p < 0.05) in the variation of thermal characteristics.