Characterization of bioscoured cotton fabrics using FT-IR ATR spectroscopy and microscopy techniques

The effects of bioscouring were investigated by characterizing the chemical and physical surface changes of cotton fabrics using a purified pectinase enzyme from Bacillus subtilis strain WSHB04-02. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) attenuated total-reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were employed. FT-IR ATR spectroscopy provided a fast and semi-quantitative assessment of the removal of pectins and/or waxes on the cotton surface by comparing the changes in intensity of the carbonyl peak induced by HCl vapor treatment at around 1736 cm−1. The bioscoured surface could be clearly distinguished from those of untreated and alkali-treated cotton fibers using a combination of SEM and AFM. The images produced using these techniques revealed that the surface morphography and topography of the cotton fibers were shaped by the etching action mode of pectinases during bioscouring. These findings demonstrated that AFM is a useful supplement to SEM in characterizing cotton surfaces.