Enhanced coloration and functionality of wool fabric by Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin coated magnetic nanoparticles

The functionality and excellent low temperature dyeability of wool fabrics play a crucial role in expanding their potential applications in the fields of healthcare and technical textiles. The study proposes a highly effective modification method to impart coloration enhancement and functionality for wool fibers using lipoic acid (LA) as a coupling agent to bind hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) capped magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4). The structure and morphology of the modified wool fabrics (MWF) were characterized by various measure techniques including FT-ATR, FE-SEM/EDS, XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The results demonstrated the successful immobilization of HP-β-CD capped Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of wool fibers through LA. The MWF exhibited enhanced wettability, anti-wrinkle performance, improved UV resistance, effective antioxidation, and good antibacterial effect against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus). These properties were found to be dosage-dependent on LA. In addition, the dyed MWF with Curcumin and Acid red 1 demonstrated higher color strength compared to untreated wool, and the color strength (K/S value) reached to 17.1 and 23.4 respectively when using 4% (o.w.f) dye concentration at 80℃ without any pH adjustment. Furthermore, the dyed MWF with both dyes exhibited the improved rubbing and washing colorfastness. This study presents a potential effective approach for enhancement in the bio-functionality and dyeability of wool fabrics.