Analyses of the thermophysiological comfort properties of highly elastane polyamide 66 compression garments crosslinked with chitosan biopolymers

Abstract

Chitosan is a biopolymer having antimicrobial activities against various bacteria and fungi. Comfort properties of various types of nylon 66/spandex fabrics crosslinked with chitosan were studied. aiming to increase the effectiveness and functions of compression fabrics used in burn scar treatments by providing infection protection with chitosan barriers. Chitosan is cross-linked with dimethylol dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) then binds onto nylon 66/spandex fabrics to progress pressure garments with permanent antimicrobial activity. The obtained nylon 66/spandex fabrics in powernet, flat warp knitted and weft knitted structures were analyzed via total thermal resistance (Rct) [(°?C)(m2)/W], and total insulation values (It) [clo] and DSC analyses were conducted and the results were evaluated. Finally, correlation between the thermal resistance for control and treated samples were given. The thermophysiological test results showed that samples crosslinked with chitosan provide thermophysiological comfort. The powernet fabrics showed the lowest thermal resistance (0.394-0.400) while the flat warp knitted fabrics showed the highest thermal resistance (0.495). These results show that after crosslinked with chitosan, the fabric samples can provide comfort by providing microclimate and preventing excess sweating of patients, thus can prevent infection risks.