Novel mosquito repellent upholstery fabrics
The aim of a recent study was to prepare insect repellent textiles by coating and printing and to compare the application methods.
The bio-based insect repellent agent citronella oil was encapsulated with a ethyl cellulose shell. Outdoor upholstery fabrics were treated with citronella capsules by coating and printing to compare the application methods. After application, the insecticide effects of the fabrics were investigated. Insecticide activity was evaluated against common house mosquitoes (Culex pipiens), with respect to cone bioassay of World Health Organization.
Mosquitoes stayed away from treated fabrics
Mosquitoes tended to stay away from treated fabrics, and mortality rates of mosquitos were noted as 72 and 65% for printing and coating, respectively, and the fabrics still showed repellency after five washing cycles. According to the researchers, the study showes that the developed product might be used as an alternative to the other products in the market for avoiding mosquito-borne diseases and these results showed that capsules can be transferred by printing and coating processes.
The study has been published in Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, Volume 19, 2022.
