Mercerised cotton
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Mercerisation is a treatment for cotton fabric and thread that gives fabric a lustrous appearance. The process is applied to materials like cotton or hemp.
The process was devised in 1844 by John Mercer of Great Harwood, Lancashire, England, who treated cotton fibres with sodium hydroxide. The treatment caused the fibres to swell, which in Mercer's version of the process shrunk the overall fabric size and made it stronger and easier to dye. The process did not become popular, however, until H. A. Lowe improved it into its modern form in 1890. By holding the cotton during treatment to prevent it from shrinking, Lowe found that the fibre gained a lustrous appearance.[1][2] Mercerisation alters the chemical structure of the cotton fibre. The structure of the fibre changes from alpha-cellulose to beta-cellulose. Mercerising results in the swelling of the cell wall of the cotton fibre. This causes increases in the surface area and reflectance, and gives the fiber a softer feel.[3]
The modern production method for mercerised cotton, also known as "pearl" or "pearle" cotton, gives cotton thread (or cotton-covered thread with a polyester core) a sodium hydroxide bath that is then neutralized with an acid bath. This treatment increases lustre, strength, affinity to dye, resistance to mildew, but also increases affinity to lint. Cotton with long staple fibre lengths responds best to mercerisation. Mercerised thread is commonly used to produce fine crochet.
[edit] References
- ^ J. Gordon Cook (1984). Handbook of Textile Fibres: Volume I: Natural Fibres. Woodhead. p. 68. ISBN 1855734842.
- ^ Beaudet, Tom (1999). "What is Mercerized cotton?". FiberArts.org. http://fiberarts.org/design/articles/mercerized.html. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
- ^ Textile Technology: Cotton/Kenaf Fabrics: a Viable Natural Fabric, P. Bel-Berger, et al Journal of Cotton Science, 3:60-70 (1999). "Cotton/kenaf fabrics can be further improved in softness and hand. The effects of different fabric treatments such as enzymes, bleaching, and mercerization were compared and measured for softness of hand. Two types of fabrics were treated, a lightweight plain weave and a heavyweight twill. Mercerization dramatically improved the softness and hand for both fabrics."
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