Influence of biopolymer coating on tensile strength and elongation at break of textile fabrics

Coatings can significantly influence the physical and chemical properties of textile fabrics, such as hydrophobicity or flame retardance. While many coatings are based on chemicals that are more or less toxic, the effects of coatings containing nanoparticles and other potentially hazardous substances on the environment and human health are regularly investigated, leading to the development of increasingly environmentally friendly and non-toxic coatings. One approach to producing such coatings is the use of biopolymers, such as chitosan. Gelatin can be used to improve the biocompatibility of medical textiles [1] or to enhance flame retardancy [2].

In a recent project, we dip-coated five different woven fabrics – made of cotton, regenerated cellulose, cotton/polyester, polyester, and unfixed polyester – with a gelatin/glycerol solution, with glycerol serving as plasticizer [2]. After thermal treatment at 50 °C, the samples were investigated using a tensile test in accordance with EN ISO 13934-1:2013, applied along warp and weft directions, respectively.

The results show different effects of the coating on maximum force and elongation at break, depending on the material and on the orientation of the tensile force along the warp or weft direction. While some materials showed increased mechanical properties, these values stayed approximately the same for others, and in some cases even a decrease of the mechanical properties could be found.

The poster provides a detailed overview of the material- and direction-dependent mechanical properties of gelatin/glycerol coated woven fabrics.

[1] Wang, W.; Zhou, Z. Y.; Liu, N.; Zhang, X. P.; Zhou, H.; Wang, Y. F.; Fang, K. J.; Wu, T. Improving Biocompatibility of Polyester Fabrics through Polyurethane/Gelatin Complex Coating for Potential Vascular Application. Polymers 2022, 14, 989.

[2] Zhu, F. L.; Chen, L.; Feng, Q. Q. Waste gelatin based layer by layer assembly for sustainable solution to cotton fabrics flame retardancy. Progress in Organic Coatings 2022, 163, 106688.