2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials and finishing method
One-hundred-percent linen fabric with a surface mass of 120 g/
m2 was used. Before testing, the fabric was washed in order to
remove any residues from the surface and possible finishing agents
applied during production.
The antifungal agent used in the finishing process was ionic
liquid didecyldimethylammonium nitrate [DDA][NO3] purchased
from P.I.W. Delta company (Fig. 1). The investigated IL is easily
soluble in water; thus it was applied by a padding process from
a water solution. The padding process was carried out with the use
of Mathis 2-Roll Laboratory Padder, which equipment allows for
accurate control of the degree of padding (100%), which in turn
enabled uniform application of a specific amount of the biocide on
the fabric surface. The fabric samples, containing [DDA][NO3] at
levels of 8 mg, 80 mg, 800 mg, and 5000 mg per 1 g of the dry linen
fabric, were prepared for the tests. After the padding process the
linen fabric samples were dried at ambient temperature.