Study On Effects Of Cutinase On Wool Shrink-resistance Finishing

In order to change the present situation that the traditional wool anti-felting finishing methods do not conform to the ecological requirements, the paper, applying the H₂O₂/cutinase/protease full ecological combination process, tries to find out optimum conditions of the process of anti-shrinking finishing of wool fabric, studies effects of anti-felting of different specifications of wool fabrics treated by this method and studies the function of Cutinase in this process by means of the infrared spectra, X ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( XPS ) techniques.The results show that the optimum conditions for full ecological shrink-proof method of H₂O₂/cutinase/protease are: the dosage of H₂O₂ is 5mL / L, pH = 9, T = 40 C, t = 30min; the concentration of Cutin enzyme is 4% (o.w.f), pH = 8.5, T = 50 C, t = 4H; the concentration of proteinase is 1% ( o.w.f,) = 8.5, T = 55 C, t = 30min. After the treatment of H₂O₂/cutinase/protease, the fabric shrinkages of gabardine, crepe, light wool cloth respectively become 0.75%, 5.9% and 1.33% which can be kept in the"machine washable"standards set by International Wool Secretariat and ecologically realizes the goal of shrink resistant finish of wool fabric.Through the analysis of Infrared spectrum and XPS, it shows that the cutinase has acted on ester bonds in the wool surface's lipid layer considering that the concentration of carbon on the wool surface and that of carbon/nitrogen ratio drops and it presumes that there maybe contain short chain fatty acids in the residual liquid. What's more, curves of felting, alkali solubility test, wetting properties and low temperature dyeing rate show that, after the full ecological combination of H₂O₂/cutinase/protease process, horny enzymes makes the specimen be with lower felting shrinkage and less alkali solubility, better wetting properties and faster dyeing rate, higher dyeing depth. Through Alva reaction and SEM, it is proved that wool surface scales are more homogeneous removal after the treatment of H₂O₂/cutinase/protease. In conclusion, cutinase's hydrolysis of parts of tester bonds on wool surface lipid layer loosens the wool flake layer, which orients the more centralized treatment of squama layer for the follow-up processing proteases and weakens the protease's hydrolysis to wool cortex in some degrees.