Mothproofing of wool fabric utilizing ZnO nanoparticles optimized by statistical models

Wool with high strength, elasticity, and resiliency has good dye-ability and comfort however could be digested by keratinolytic enzymes. In this research, wool fabric pre-treated with BTCA and then treated with nano ZnO. The treated fabrics showed mothproofing activity against the larvae of carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, as feeding protein fibers. The role of both BTCA and nano ZnO concentrations on mothproofing properties of the wool fabric were optimized using statistical model of response surface methodology (RSM). Mothproofing was investigated through assessing wool weight loss during feeding by A. verbasci. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to obtain the optimum models for wool with mothproofing properties. The damages on the wool surface confirmed with scanning electron microscopy and digital camera images. Further transmission and absorbance spectra approved the UV protection properties of the nano ZnO treated wool in both UVA and UVB.