Binder effectiveness of microcapsules applied onto cotton fabrics during laundry

Microcapsules can be added to fabric in industrial processes however, they have not been widely spread among industrial companies.In this study we suggest the possibility of reloading microcapsules onto a fabric while cloths are washed.The effectiveness of different resins when microcapsules are applied in washing machine during domestic laundry process has been studied. Microcapsules containing lavender fragrance and melamine formaldehyde shellwhere adhered to the fabric by means of one acrylic acid as a resin, or some crosslinking agents such as butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) or succinic acid (SUC).In order to evaluate their behaviour some laundering or ironing tests were conducted according to international standards (ISO).Every sample from the laboratory was studied with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and with a particle size counter.As a result we could observe which was the most suitable auxiliary used to bond microcapsules to fabric, and conclude about the conditions (temperature, concentration, etc.) in which we obtained the optimal results.It was demonstrated that domestic laundry is a suitable process to incorporate microcapsules to garments.