Moisture-management in hydrophilic fibers

A process for manufacturing a cotton- or cellulose-containing fabric which exhibits improved moisture management compared to fabric not manufactured by the process, the moisture management further improving with repeated washing of the fabric, the process consisting of three consecutive steps:

• i) a hydrophilization step including treating cotton or cellulose fibers with a strongly defatting composition containing a mixture of a strong alkali and a detergent, the composition added to the fibers to clear the fibers of oily and waxy materials and other impurities, thereby decreasing hydrophobicity of the fibers and converting the fibers to super-hydrophilic filaments;
• ii) a hydrophobization step including treating the super-hydrophilic filaments resulting from carrying out step i) with a composition containing nanoparticles of silicone to encapsulate the super-hydrophilic filaments in silicone, wherein the treating includes immersing the super-hydrophilic filaments in a suspension comprising silicone nanoparticles bringing each individual super-hydrophilic filament of the super-hydrophilic filaments in contact with the silicone nanoparticles, thereby obtaining hydrophobized yarn;
• and
• iii) a production step including tightly weaving or knitting the hydrophobized yarn obtained from carrying out step ii) into a fabric, the tight weaving or knitting forming inter-fiber capillaries in the fabric;
• wherein the improved moisture management is essentially achieved by wicking moisture through the inter-fiber capillaries, which further open into channels as extra silicone particles inhabiting the inter-fiber capillaries wash-off with repeated washing of the fabric.