Electron Microscopical Analyses of the Distribution of Oily Soils On Fabrics After Laundering: a Review

Abstract

An electron microscopical method was developed to study the penetration and location of residual oily soil on fiber surfaces and in the fiber structure. Unsaturated oils, commonly found in human sebum, were reacted with osmium tetroxide which functioned as a tag for the oil in the backscattered electron images and the electron beam X-ray analyses. These methods have been used to study the location of residual oils on a range of woven fabrics in cluding those containing cotton, polyester, nylon, and acrylic fibers. The distributions of triolein, a triglyceride, and of oleic acid, a fatty acid, have been evaluated after laundering using a range of detergency conditions. The largest quantities of residual oils were accumulated in the interfiber capillaries within the yarn structures. Cotton fibers entrapped oii in the crenulations of the fiber and in the lumen. No oil was observed in the interior regions of the synthetic fibers evaluated, but high concentrations of oil were retained on the fiber surfaces between closely spaced fibers.

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