Single bath process for imparting antimicrobial activity and ultraviolet protective property to bamboo viscose fabric

Bamboo viscose, a new cellulose-based textile material was investigated for biomedical applications such as ultraviolet protective ability and antimicrobial activity. Untreated bamboo viscose fabric was found to afford poor protection against UV radiation and also possessed minimal antimicrobial properties. To enhance UV protection characteristics, fabrics were subjected to different treatments viz., dyeing; finishing with commercial UV absorbers; and one-bath dyeing and finishing with UV absorber. Treatment conditions were optimized with regard to the concentration of UV absorber and dye. Results obtained showed that the UPF values increase with increase in UV absorber and dye concentration. Subsequently, a single bath process to apply both antimicrobial and UV protective treatments to bamboo fabric was studied. Results showed that both treatments are compatible for application from a single bath. The effectiveness of the antimicrobial agent was not adversely affected by the presence of an UV absorber and the treated fabric also retained excellent UV protective properties.