From Raw to Finished Cotton—Characterization by Interface Phenomena

Abstract Interface phenomena that occur at the solid–liquid interface, such as wettability, adsorption, and particle aggregation, depend on the kind and magnitude of the solid surface free energy and electrokinetic properties found in water solutions. These phenomena are crucial for textile dyeing, finishing, and care. They characterize the material surface and change with different material pretreatment and finishing. In this paper, electrokinetic potential, isoelectric point, point of zero charge, a specific amount of surface charge and surface free energy of raw, enzymatically scoured, bleached, and finished cotton fabrics were investigated. Electrokinetic potential was measured by a streaming potential method and a specific quantity of surface charge by the back-titration method. For determination of the solid surface free energy components, the thin-layer wicking and contact-angle methods were used. On the basis of these results, components of solid surface free energy were calculated and discussed.