Specialty chemical finishes for sustainable luxurious textiles

Abstract

In the last few decades, people have become more concerned about their health, hygiene, lifestyle, fashion, comfort, luxury, and wellbeing. Those belonging to economically well-off sections are more often choosing to buy luxurious textiles, not only to exhibit their high social and well-off strata, but also from the compulsion in health and hygienic necessity of the present day. In the production of luxurious textiles, natural fibres like cotton, silk and wool, and man-made fibres, like polyester, acrylic and regenerated rayon (viscose) play important roles. Recently, due to the rapid growth of nanoscience and technology, various organic and inorganic nanoparticles, such as silver (Ag), TiO2, ZnO, SiO2, lignin, and Chitosan have been applied to impart attributes needed for health and hygiene, UV protection, self-cleaned, and skin-care functionalities, both in natural and synthetic textiles. Similarly, various plant molecules, biomaterials and bio-polymers, such as banana pseudostem sap (BPS), grape and mulberry fruit extracts, natural dyes, Chitosan, tulsi, silk-sericin, aloe Vera, honey, almonds, cucumber, and mint have been applied in textiles for improvement in antimicrobial, UV-protective, anti-oxidant, skin-nourishing, and hydrophilic properties. Natural extracts of jasmine, lavender, Champa sandalwood and such others containing active ingredients like santalols, fusanol, santene, teresantol, benzyl acetate, linalool, linalyl acetate, and benzyl benzoate have also been added in textiles for their mind-refreshing fragrance and for skin nourishing, smoothening of facial lines/wrinkles and providing impetus to immune, nervous, and brain psychological system. The requirement of various attributes for professional clothing like wrinkle-resistance, comfort and self-cleaning of fabric surface have been incorporated in textiles to develop aristocratic, social, religious, business, and ritual party outfit. High value Cosmeto-textile and Ayurvastra have also been designed for slimming, moisturising, perfuming, healthy, fresh feeling and curing/healing of many diseases in a holistic approach by taking cue from the traditional knowledge of cosmetics, Ayurveda and clothing science. As these high value textiles are produced mostly from the natural fibres and functionalized using natural products/biomaterials, they can be effectively used for the production of sustainable luxurious textiles.