EFI Mezzera Mercerizing

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Extremely delicate treatment for first-class fibres

Mercerizing is one fundamental step in cotton fabric preparation. During the mercerizing process, the crystalline structure of the cellulose is permanently altered to the benefit of the macroscopic characteristics and fibre reactivity to the dyestuffs.

The action of the concentrated lye on the cellulose polymeric structure may be summarized as follows: firstly, the lye hinders the formation of cross linkages between polymeric chain causing a partial re-orientation of the crystallites in the cellulose structure. The section of the fibre changes from kidney-shaped to almost circular due to the swelling and to the modified structure, which involves also the “twisting” of spiral coils in the cellulose. The so modified polymeric chains finally lose the convolutions that are their peculiarity before the mercerizing, and this results in quite interesting effect on the macroscopic scale.

Increase of dyeing affinity up to 35%
Dimensional stability
Improved lustre
Better mechanical properties
Coverage of immature/dead cotton
Softer hand
Colour brilliance