Modification of sericin using cyanuric chloride and its application on the textile substrate to impart multifunctional properties

Sericin is a highly hydrophilic macromolecular protein comprising 18 amino acids. It is considered biocompatible, nontoxic, and has antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It is applied on fabric, however, either the fabric needs to be pretreated with electrolytes or catalyst are used thereby increasing the number of processing steps. This study achieved sericin with multifunctional properties through chemical modification using cyanuric chloride. Modified sericin was applied in the dyeing stage along with the dyes on various textile substrates like wool, silk, and polyester. The functional properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and in modified sericin new chlorine peak at 779 cm⁻¹ was obtained, X-ray diffractogram shows increase in crystallinity after modification of sericin, SEM showed particles of sericin on all fabrics even after 5 washes. Fabrics were analysed for antimicrobial activity and showed antimicrobial properties against gram negative and positive bacteria. Fastness properties and ultra violet protection factor of the samples were also determined.