JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS

https://doi.org/10.1080/15440478.2020.1863293

A Study of the Thermo-physiological Comfort Properties of Fabrics

treated with Neem and Bermuda grass Herbal Finishes
S. Kubera Sampath Kumara, A. Jebastin Rajwin b
, D. Vasanth Kumar c
, J. Balajib,
and C. Prakash d
a
Department of Chemical Engineering (Textile Technology), Vignan’s foundation for Science, Technology & Research
(Deemed to be University), Vadlamudi, Andhra Pradesh, India; bDepartment of Fashion Technology, Sona College of
Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India; cVIT Fashion Institute of Technology (VFIT), VIT Chennai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,
India; dDepartment of Handloom and Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Fulia Colony,
Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, Shantipur, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
Comfort is an aspect and is considered as one of the important characteristics of Bermudagrass; clothing
clothing. Generally, the comfort properties can be distinguished into three comfort; herbal finishes;
categories, viz., thermo-physiological comfort, sensorial comfort, and psycholo­ neem; polyester: acrylic fiber
blends; thermo-physiological
gical comfort. Thermo-physiological comfort of a fabric is determined by the
comfort
ability of the fabric to transmit heat, air, and moisture from the skin to the
atmosphere. Fabric made of synthetic fibers has convincing comfort properties 关键词
when compared with the fabrics made of natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, etc. 百慕大群岛; 穿着舒适; 草
When natural fibers are compared with synthetic fibers, synthetic fibers are 药饰面; 尼姆 聚酯纤维; 丙
hydrophobic in nature and provides less comfort to the wearer. Hence, in this 烯酸纤维混合物; 热生理
research work, an attempt has been made to study the thermo-physiological 舒适
comfort properties of herbal finished woven fabrics made from synthetic fibers
coated with neem and bermudagrass. Herbal finishes were applied on the woven
fabrics made from 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers.
These finished fabrics were tested and analyzed for durability and essential
thermo-physiological comfort properties. Based on the test results and analysis
it was found that significant improvements in the moisture-related properties
and moderate decrease in the thermal conductivity of the synthetic fabrics with
neem and bermudagrass herbal finish.
摘要
舒适性是服装的一个方面,是服装的重要特征之一. 一般来说,舒适性可分为
三类,即热生理舒适性、感觉舒适性和心理舒适性. 织物的热生理舒适性取
决于织物将热量、空气和水分从皮肤传递到大气的能力. 与棉、丝、毛等
天然纤维织物相比,合成纤维织物具有令人信服的舒适性能. 当天然纤维与
合成纤维相比时,合成纤维本质上是疏水性的,给穿着者提供的舒适性较差.
因此,在本研究工作中,尝试研究以印楝和狗牙根为涂层的合成纤维织物的
热生理舒适性. 草药整理应用于由100%聚酯纤维和50:50聚酯纤维、丙烯酸
纤维混纺而成的机织物上. 对这些成品织物进行了耐久性和基本的热生理
舒适性测试和分析. 根据测试结果和分析,发现印楝和狗牙根草本整理织物
的吸湿性能得到显著改善,导热系数略有下降.

Introduction
Thermo-physiologic comfort means the comfort to the skin and the perceptions of warmth,
coldness, and wetness got from wearing the clothing (Prakash and Ramakrishnan 2014; Raja et al.
2015). Thermo-physiological comfort is gained from a fabric by its ability to transmit heat, air, and
moisture from the skin to the atmosphere. The human body is made up of an amazing complex

CONTACT C. Prakash dearcprakash@gmail.com.

© 2020 Taylor & Francis
2 C. PRAKASH ET AL.

structure. It has the ability to self-synchronize with the environment. The human body senses
overheating and sweat to maintain its normal temperature. The rate of sweating increases with an
increase in body temperature. The sweat produced by the body is let off from the body as water-
vapor along with the body heat directly or through the fabric surface to the atmosphere. The aspect
of clothing is being geared up and many researchers are finding solutions for providing maximum
comfort to the wearer. Consumers are looking for solutions to absorbing capability and the comfort
of the fabric. Moisture management is a fundamental concept with respect to textile material. The
wearing comfort of a textile fabric depends on its ability to manage moisture (Karthikeyan et al.
2017; Ramakrishnan, Umapathy, and Prakash 2015). Every human being sweats when they are
highly active especially during physical activities like walking, running, exercising, playing, and
sometimes while resting, produce heat energy and secrete sweat. An important feature of any fabric
is how it transports this water out of the wetted fabric surface so it makes the wearer feel
comfortable (Hes and de Araujo 2010).
Li (2001) studied the thermo-physiological comfort of clothing and defined that the fabric must
provide comfort to the wearer by influencing positively the warmness, coldness, and wetness percep­
tions. Thermo-physiological comfort deals with the transmission of heat, air, and moisture from the
skin through the fabric.
Varshney, Kothari, and Dhamija (2010) studied the effect of linear densities and profiles of
polyester fibers on the physiological properties of woven fabrics. The researchers reported that the
increase in fiber linear density enhances transplanar wicking but slows down the spreading speed of
water drops on the fabrics. The thermal comfort properties of fabrics are also influenced by the type of
fiber used in the fabrics.
Prakash, Ramakrishnan, and Koushik (2012) revealed that increasing the content of bamboo fiber
in the fabric increases the air permeability, and water vapor permeability also increases with the
increase in bamboo fiber content while both thermal conductivity and thermal resistance show
a decreasing trend.
For many years, nature is rendering many excellent things for the well-being of human beings.
Herbal plants are notable nature’s gift since they play a key role in safeguarding the mankind from
various problems. India and most of the countries in the world are having abundant availability of
various herbs. Recently few researchers have found that the herbs are very successful in providing
medicinal properties to the human being. Herbs are also considered as the best alternative to artificial
and toxic medicines for certain diseases since the latter cause injurious side effects that lead to
disorders and chronic diseases (Joshi et al. 2009). This is evident by the use of herbs in Ayurveda,
Unani, Siddha, and Naturopathy methods of medication.
Joshi, WazedAli,and, and Rajendran (2007) observed that the antibacterial activity was higher
against Gram-positive bacteria as compared to Gram-negative bacteria (Proteus vulgaris). The treated
fabrics also showed improved crease recovery property although the tensile property showed
a marginal increase. Polyester/cotton blended fabrics protect users from pathogenic microorganisms
by developing resistance to them by using neem antimicrobial finishing (Simoncic 2010; Vaideki et al.
2007). In one of the previous studies, it was revealed that surface modification due to RF oxygen
plasma was found to increase the hydrophilicity and hence the antimicrobial activity of the cotton
fabric when treated with Azadirachtin (Neem) (Joshi et al. 2009).
The leaf juice has also been used in the treatment of hysteria, epilepsy, and insanity (Jiny Varghese
et al. 2010). From the ethanolic extracts of one of the varieties of bermudagrass, it is found that
bermudagrass is having an effective antioxidant capacity (Auddy et al. 2003). Balasubramanian et al.
(2008) has revealed that the strongest antiviral activity against white spot syndrome virus is being
offered by the bermudagrass. Also, the juice extract of bermudagrass is a good medium for functional
ingredients such as probiotics because it has a wide consumer appeal and is generally recognized as
a healthy product (Tuorila and Cardello 2002). Sudha et al. (2011) observed in a study that by
incorporating probiotic bacterium into Bermuda grass juice, the health benefits are enhanced through
the improved medicinal properties.
 JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 3

In this research work, the significant aim for selecting these herbs (neem and bermudagrass) because of
the eco-friendliness in nature. These herbs were applied as a finish on the woven fabrics made from synthetic
fibers such as 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers. In general, the woven fabrics made
from these synthetic fibers are hydrophobic in nature and provides less comfort to the wearer. In order to
improve the comfort properties of the woven fabrics made from synthetic fibers, herbal finishes were
applied. Both the neem and bermudagrass herbs were extracted and the herbal finishes were applied on the
woven fabrics and studied for the thermo-physiological comfort properties such as wicking (both warp and
weft ways), water vapor permeability, thermal conductivity, and finish durability to washing and the results
were reported.

Materials and methods

Materials
In this study, woven fabrics made from 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers
were chosen since these fabrics are most preferable for shirting’s and are commercially available. Neem
and bermudagrass were chosen and the juice was extracted from the herbs as per the regular
procedures adopted for the herbal extract preparation. Herbal extracts were applied as a finish on
the woven fabrics. These herbs were chosen because of the eco-friendliness and also have the merits in
imparting better moisture management-related properties.

Methods
Herbal extracts preparation

The herbal extracts (neem and bermudagrass) were prepared by drying, granulating and extraction process.
Neem and bermudagrass were dried under the shadow for about 14 days (2 weeks). The dried neem and
bermudagrass were granulated into small pieces. The herbal extracts were prepared by using a Soxhlet apparatus.
The small granulated pieces of neem and bermudagrass were treated with methanol for 12 hours using the
Soxhlet apparatus and the herbal extracts were obtained.

Fabric pre-treatment
Commercially available woven fabrics made of 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers
were procured. In general, the procured fabrics may contain dust and other impurities on the surface. In
order to remove the dust particles and other impurities present on the woven fabrics, a normal machine
wash with detergent was done and the fabrics were dried. Due to the hydrophobic nature of the synthetic
fibers, the woven fabrics do not allow the maximum penetration of herbal finishes on the surface. Therefore,
fabric pre-treatment with Hy-soft silicon was done to enhance the hydrophobic property of the woven
fabrics which in turn will enhance the durability and herbal finish penetration. One set of fabric sample was
taken as a reference sample and kept as untreated. Pre-treatment for the remaining set of fabric samples was
done by using the following recipe:
Hy-soft silicon:20 gpl
Acetic acid:1gpl
Time:25 min
pH:4.5
Temp:80⁰C
Finally, these fabric samples (both the reference and pre-treated) were dried at 80°C for 5 minutes
and cured by placing in a curing chamber at 150°C for 3 minutes.
4 C. PRAKASH ET AL.

Herbal finishing method

The pre-treated woven fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic blends) were treated with the herbal
extracts and the woven fabrics coated with neem and bermudagrass by the normal pad, dry and cure method. In
this process, the prepared recipe of the herbal extracts of both the neem and bermudagrass were applied and
coated over the woven fabrics as per the below-mentioned procedures.

The finishing bath was prepared by maintaining the liquor ratio 1:15 (MLR) and 3% of the herbal extracts were
added. The pre-treated, well wettedand squeezed woven fabrics were added into the finishing bath and main­
tained for 1 hour at a standard room temperature by maintaining the neutral (6-7) pH level. Both the woven
fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester/acrylic blends) were treated separately with both the herbal extracts
(neem and bermudagrass) in the finishing bath. Finally, the fabric is dried at 80°C for 5 minutes and then cured at
100°C for 3 minutes.

Evaluation of thermo-physiological properties of herbal finished woven fabrics

The constructional parameters (such as ends and picks per dm, warp and weft count [Ne], areal
density, fabric thickness [mm]) for both woven fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester/acrylic
blends) were evaluated by doing the relevant test as mentioned. The thermo-physiological comfort-
related properties such as wicking (both warp and weft ways), water vapor permeability, thermal
conductivity, and finish durability to washing were measured as per the standard test methods and the
results are reported in Table 1.
The Alambeta instrument was used to measure thermal conductivity. In this instrument, the fabric
is kept between the hot and cold plates according to ISO 8301 (Hes and Dolezal 1989). Auto Water
Vapor Permeability Cup method (dish method) Tester TF165B (TESTEX, China) was used to measure
the water vapor permeability of the fabric samples as per the ASTM E96 testing standard. Cup method
(dish method) was used to measure the water vapor permeability of the fabric samples as per the
ASTM E96 testing standard. Similarly, the vertical wicking test was conducted according to the DIN
53924 standard and gravimetric in-plane wicking apparatus. The test results are tabulated in Table 2.

Chemical composition of neem and bermudagrass

Neem leaves contain the limonoidazadirachtin (Roy and Saraf 2006) in concentrations that provide
the antifungal characteristics. Many works of literature state the presence of cyclic trisulfide and cyclic

Table 1. Constructional parameters of synthetic fabrics.

Fabrics Ends/dm Picks/dm Warp count (Ne) Weft count (Ne) Areal density Fabric thickness (mm)
100% Polyester 2.6 2.4 40 (14.76 Tex) 40 (14.76 Tex) 113 0.223
50/50 Polyester/acrylic 2.4 2.3 40 (14.76 Tex) 40 (14.76 Tex) 117 0.236

Table 2. Thermo-physiological properties of finished and control fabrics.

Control Neem finished Bermuda grass finished
Type of fabric Property fabric fabric fabric
100% Polyester Wicking in warp way (cm) 0.8 3.95 3.35
Wicking in weft way (cm) 0.7 4.15 3.95
Water vapor permeability (g/m2/ 3021 3451 3858
day)
Thermal conductivity (W/m/K) 0.066 0.057 0.073
50/50 Polyester/acrylic Wicking in warp way (cm) 0.3 2.75 3.98
blended Wicking in weft way (cm) 0.2 2.0 2.76
Water vapor permeability (g/m2/ 3234 3434 3627
day)
Thermal conductivity (W/m/K) 0.069 0.063 0.057
 JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 5

tetrasulfide and polysaccharides (Ishita, Ranajit, and Uday 2002) as the cause of its antibacterial
activity apart from azadirachtin. Some researchers have stated that m-toluylaldehyde, methyl 14-
methylpentadecanoate, lineoleoyl chloride, and methyl isoheptadecanoate are also present in the
methanolic extract of neem leaves (Hossain et al. 2013). It is also reported as a generic classification
of the substances such as alkaloids, carbohydrates (polysaccharide), reducing sugars, flavanoids,
glycoside, tannins and phenolic compound, and saponins which are present in the neem leaf extracts
(Prakash and Ramakrishnan 2014).
Bermuda grass contains hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester linolenic acid, and ethyl ester d-mannose which
are the major components of the hydroalcoholic extract, and hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester was the most
abundant one. It also contains the isolated compounds, 3H-pyrazol-3-one, 2,4-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethyl, 4H-
pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl, menthol, benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, methyl ester, ben­
zofuran, 2,3-dihydro, 2-furancarboxaldehyde, 5-hydroxymethyl, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, decanoic acid,
ethyl ester, D-mannose, 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, Ar-turmerone, turmerone, curlone,2,3,5,9- tetra­
methyl, 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecane-1-ol, hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester, phytol, 9,12- octadecadie­
noic acid ethyl ester, linolenic acid ethyl ester, and octadecanoic acid ethyl ester. Also, 22 compounds were
identified from the phenolic fraction of the whole parts of Cynodondactylon. Hydroquinone was the most
abundant one. The isolated compounds were included propanoic acid, 2-oxo, furfural, 2 H-pyran-2-one,
5,6-dihydro, pantolactone, pentanoic acid, 4-oxo, levoglucosenone, hexanediamide, N,N’-dibenzoyloxy,
3-hydroxy-1-methylpyridinium hydroxide, 2-furancarbox-aldehyde, 5-methyl, propanedioic acid, phenyl,
hydroquinone, phthalic anhydride, 1,3-benzenediol, 5-chloro, benzaldehyde, 3-(chloroacetoxy)- 4-meth­
oxy, ethanone, 1-(4-hydroxy-3- methoxyphenyl), 1,6-anhydro-á-D-glucopyranose (levoglucosan), vanillic
acid, 1-(2-Hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethanone, Syringic acid, pyrrolidin-2-one, N-(2,4- dimethylcy­
clopent-3-enoyl)-, cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy, and 9,9-dimethoxy-bicyclo (Shabi et al. 2010).

The mechanism of water absorption

The general mechanism of water absorption by the chemical composition present in neem and
bermudagrass extract has been analyzed. It is well known that water is a highly polar compound
due to the presence of strong electronegative oxygen atom being attached to weakly electronegative
hydrogen atoms. Such bonding leads to the asymmetrical distribution of electrons around the whole
molecule, i.e., the electron cloud is more around oxygen than on hydrogen atoms leading to the
formation of strong delta charges making it a dipole, the polar compound as shown in Figure 1.
Hence, when a water molecule meets with a similar polar compound, it forms a bond through the
opposite delta charge attractions which are technically understood as hydrogen bonding, dipole–dipole
interactions, and ion–dipole interactions. Such attachment of water molecules is called as direct bonding.

Figure 1. Mechanism of water absorption.

6 C. PRAKASH ET AL.

Water absorption further can also be because of indirect attachment, i.e., water molecules being
attached to those water molecules that have directly bonded with the functional groups of a molecule
as shown in Figures 2 and figure 3.

Surface morphology (SEM analysis)

The SEM image analysis was done to study the surface morphology of neem and bermudagrass
finished woven fabrics made from 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers. Figure
4a shows the surface morphology of untreated polyester/acrylic blended fabrics. Figure 4b and Figure
4c show the surface morphology of the polyester/acrylic blended fabrics treated by neem finished and
bermudagrass, respectively. It was clearly shown that in Figure 4b and c the fiber surface was so
attached to the finish of neem and bermudagrass.

Figure 2. Direct attachment of water to a polar molecule.

Figure 3. Attachment of more water molecules.

 JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 7

Figure 4.

Wicking (Both warp and weft ways)

Wicking behavior (both warp and weft ways) of the woven fabric (100% polyester) were tested and
represented in Table 2. From the results, it is evidenced that both the herbal finish (neem and
bermudagrass) improves the wicking behavior considerably for the 100% polyester fabrics (both
warp and weft ways).
It is noticed that improvement in the wicking behavior was found to be 3 times (321%) with neem
finish and 2¼ times (221%) with bermudagrass finish in the case of warp way. Similarly, in the case of
weft way it is observed that the improvement in the wicking behavior was found to be 4 times (408%)
with neem finish and 3.75 times (375%) with bermudagrass finish. In general, the neem finish exhibits
better wicking in warp way when compared to bermudagrass in both cases. This is due to the chemical
groups present in the neem leaves extract that have many functional groups which are polar, i.e.,
hydrophilic, would certainly impart hygroscopic properties which will lead to the improvement in the
moisture-related property of wicking in the finished fabrics.
The wicking behavior (both warp and weft ways) of the woven fabric (blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic
fibers) were tested and represented in Table 2. From the results, it is evidenced that both the herbal finish
(neem and bermudagrass) improves the wicking behavior considerably for the fabric made from the blends
of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers. It is noticed that improvement in the wicking behavior was found to be
7.75times (775%) with neem finish and 13.75 times (1375%) with bermudagrass finish in the case of warp
way. Similarly, in the case of weft way it is observed that the improvement in the wicking behavior was found
to be 9 times (900%) with neem finish and 14.5 times (1460%) with bermudagrass finish in the case of weft
way. It is also noted that the wicking behavior of the bermudagrass finish records higher improvement when
compared with the neem finish in both the warp and weft way of the fabric made from the blends of 50:50
polyester, acrylic fibers. A striking feature to note is that this is reverse with 100% polyester fabric.

Water-vapor permeability
Water-vapor permeability behaviour of the woven fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic
blends) were tested and represented in Table 2. From the results, it is evidenced that both the herbal
finish (neem and bermudagrass) improves the water-vapor permeabilityconsiderably for100% polye­
ster fabrics (both warp and weft ways). It is noticed that improvement in the water-vapor permeability
was found to be 65 g/m2/day and 172 g/m2/day with neem and bermudagrass finish, accounting for
2.17% and 5.75%, respectively. In general, for 100% polyester fabrics, the bermudagrass finish exhibits
better water vapor permeability than neem finish when compared.
From the results, it is evidenced that both the herbal finish (neem and bermudagrass) improves the
water-vapor permeability considerably for the fabric made from the blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic
fibers. It is noticed that improvement in the water-vapor permeability was found to be 100 g/m2/day
and 192 g/m2/day with neem and bermudagrass finish, accounting for 3.29% and 6.33%, respectively.
In general, for the fabric made from the blends of 50:50 polyester/acrylic fibers, the bermudagrass
finish exhibits better water vapor permeability than neem finish when compared.
8 C. PRAKASH ET AL.

This improvement in water vapor permeability may be attributed to the chemical groups present in
neem and bermudagrass which has been discussed earlier, which increases the absorption property of
neem and bermudagrass enabling the absorption of water vapor and passing this water vapor through
the pores in the fabric quickly to the atmosphere. In general, the water vapor permeability of the woven
fabrics made from synthetic fibers was improved with the finish. This finding helps in transporting the
moisture created over the skin as the sweat transfer from the skin to the fabric and then to the
atmosphere thus reducing the heat built up to a small extent.

Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity behavior of the woven fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic
blends) were tested and represented in Table 2. From the results, it is evidenced that unlike the other
moisture properties the thermal conductivity of 100% polyester fabric represents a decrease with the
herbal finishes. It is noticed that a decrease is very small as 5.92% (0.0019 W/m/k) and 13.40%
(0.0043 W/m/k) with neem and bermudagrass finishes, respectively. Similarly, the thermal conduc­
tivity of the fabric made from the blends of 50:50 polyester/acrylic fibers represents a decrease with the
herbal finishes. It is noticed that a very minute decrease of 1.55% (0.0004 W/m/k) and 23.73%
(0.0061 W/m/k) with neem and bermudagrass finishes, respectively. Overall, neem has a very low
decrease whereas bermudagrass has a moderate decrease in the thermal conductivity of both the
woven fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic blends).
Despite the improvement in moisture properties, the thermal conductivity results show
a decreasing trend and which may be attributed to the reason that the increase in water vapor
transmission caused by the opening of the fabric structure which indirectly allows more air space
thus obstructing the heat transfer. This behavior maybe because of the reason that, even though the
functional groups present in the neem charcoal improve the moisture-related properties, they are not
serving the purpose of conducting heat.

Durability (Herbal Finish)

The durability of the herbal finishes (neem and bermudagrass) were calculated by testing the finished
fabrics after 5 and 20 washes in their warp way wicking property. For this, washing was done using
standard detergent with 3% of its own weight at 40⁰C in a washing machine as per the method ISO:
6330–1984E. The results are tabulated in Table 3.
From the results, as mentioned in Table 3 it is evidenced that the durability of both the finishes was
lying in the range of 53% to 88.3% after 5 and 20 washes, respectively. When compared in the case of
finishes, the bermudagrass finish shows slightly better durability than neem in both the fabrics.
Similarly, in the case of types of fabric, the fabric made from the blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic
fibers has a better fastness property when compared with the 100% polyester fabric.

Conclusion
It is examined and proved that the woven fabrics coated with herbal finish (neem and bermudagrass)
result in improved moisture management-related properties (wicking and water-vapor permeability)

Table 3. Finish durability in terms of % reduction in warp way wicking of fabrics.

% Reduction in warp way wicking of fabrics
After 5 washes After 20 washes
Fabric type Neem Bermuda grass Neem Bermuda grass
100% Polyester 84.6 86.4 58.3 55.1
Polyester/acrylic blend 88.1 91.3 63.5 57.0
 JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS 9

and provides better thermal comfort to the wearer. Also, it is noticed that a little decreasing trend in the
thermal conductivity of the herbal finished woven fabrics coated with neem and bermudagrass. While
the wicking properties (both warp and weft ways) were analyzed, it was found that 100% polyester fabric
coated with neem finish is higher when compared with fabric coated with bermudagrass finish.
Similarly, while polyester, acrylic blended fabrics (50:50) were compared, it was found that the fabric
coated with bermudagrass finish results in higher wicking (both warp and weft ways) than the neem
finish. While the water-vapor permeability properties were analyzed, both the fabrics (100% polyester
and 50:50 polyester, acrylic blends) increased significantly with the herbal finish (neem and bermuda­
grass). Similarly, while the herbal finish (neem and bermudagrass) was compared, bermudagrass results
in higher water-vapor permeability than the neem finish. While the thermal conductivity properties
were analyzed, it was found that in both the fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic blends)
a decrease in the thermal conductivity is less for neem finish compared to bermudagrass finish. While
the durability of herbal finish was analyzed, both the herbal finishes neem and bermudagrass results in
good fastness to washing. Similarly, while the herbal finish (neem and bermudagrass) was compared,
bermudagrass shows slightly better durability than the neem finish in both the fabrics. To conclude, the
thermo-physiological comfort properties of both the fabrics (100% polyester and 50:50 polyester, acrylic)
coated with herbal finish (neem and bermudagrass) were improved significantly with the improvement
in the moisture management-related properties besides a very little decrease in the thermal conductivity.

ORCID
A. Jebastin Rajwin http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2025-3502
D. Vasanth Kumar http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9449-2517
C. Prakash http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2472-6765

References
Auddy, B., M. Ferreira, F. Blasina, L. Lafon, F. Arredondo, F. Dajas, C. Tripathi, T. Seal, and B. Mukherjee. 2003.
Screening of antioxidant activity of three Indian medicinal plants, traditionally used for the management of
neurodegenerative diseases. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 84 (2):131–38. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(02)00322-7.
Balasubramanian, G., M. Sarathi, C. Venkatesan, J. Thomas, and A. S. Hameed. 2008. Oral administration of antiviral
plant extract of Cynodon dactylon on a large scale production against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in Penaeus
monodon. Aquaculture 279 (1):2–5. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2008.03.052.
Hes, L., and M. de Araujo. 2010. Simulation of the effect of air gaps between the skin and a wet fabric on resulting cooling
flow. Textile Research Journal 80 (14):1488–97. doi:10.1177/0040517510361797.
Hes, L., and I. Dolezal. 1989. New method and equipment for measuring thermal properties of textiles. Seni Kikai
Gakkaishi (Journal of the Textile Machinery Society of Japan) 42 (8):124–28. doi:10.4188/transjtmsj.42.8_T124.
Hossain, M. A., W. A. Al-Toubi, A. M. Weli, Q. A. Al-Riyami, and J. N. Al-Sabahi. 2013. Identification and
characterization of chemical compounds in different crude extracts from leaves of Omani neem. Journal of Taibah
University for Science 7 (4):181–88.
Ishita, C., K. M. Ranajit, and B. Uday. 2002. Biological activities and medicinal properties of Neem. Current Science 82
(11):1336–45.
Jiny Varghese, K., J. Anila, R. Nagalekshmi, S. Resiya,and, and J. Sonu. 2010. Dasapushpam: The traditional uses and the
therapeutic potential of ten sacred plants of Kerala state in India. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and
Research 1 (10):50–59.
Joshi, M., S. Wazed Ali, R. Purwar, and S. Rajendran. 2009. Ecofriendly antimicrobial finishing of textiles using bioactive
agents based on natural products. Indian Journal Fibre and Textile Research 34:295–304.
Joshi, M., S. WazedAli,and, and S. Rajendran. 2007. Antibacterial finishing of polyester/cotton blend fabrics using neem
(Azadirachta indica): A natural bioactive agent. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 106 (2):793–800. doi:10.1002/
app.26323.
Karthikeyan, G., G. Nalankilli, O. L. Shanmugasundram, and C. Prakash. 2017. Moisture management properties of
bamboo viscose/tencel single jersey knitted fabrics. Journal of Natural Fibers 1 (1):143–52. doi:10.1080/
15440478.2016.1187700.
Li, Y. 2001. The science of clothing comfort. Textile Progress 31:1–135. doi:10.1080/00405160108688951.
Prakash, C., and G. Ramakrishnan. 2014. Study of thermal properties of bamboo/cotton blended single Jersey knitted
fabrics. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 39 (3):2289–94. doi:10.1007/s13369-013-0758-z.
10 C. PRAKASH ET AL.

Prakash, C., G. Ramakrishnan, and C. V. Koushik. 2012. A study of the thermal properties of single jersey fabrics of
cotton, bamboo and cotton/bamboo blended-yarn vis-à-vis bamboo fibre presence and yarn count. Journal of
Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 110 (3):1173–77. doi:10.1007/s10973-011-2066-8.
Prashanth, G. K., and G. M. Krishnaiah. 2014. Chemical composition of the leaves of Azadirachta indica Linn (Neem).
International Journal of Advancement in Engineering and Technology, Management and Applied Science 1 (3):21–31.
Raja, D., C. Prakash, G. Gunasekaran, and C. V. Koushik. 2015. A study on thermal properties of single-jersey knitted
fabrics produced from ring and compact folded yarns. The Journal of the Textile Institute April 2015(Impact factor-
0.722). 106 (4):359–65. doi:10.1080/00405000.2014.912783.
Ramakrishnan, G., P. Umapathy, and C. Prakash. 2015. Comfort properties of bamboo/cotton blended knitted fabrics
produced from rotor spun yarns. The Journal of the Textile Institute 106 (12):1371–76. doi:10.1080/
00405000.2014.995462.
Roy, A., and S. Saraf. 2006. Azadirachtin and other triterpenoids, the neem tree. Source of unique natural products for
integrated pest management, medicine, industry and other purposes 1995. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 29
(2):191–201. doi:10.1248/bpb.29.191.
Shabi, M. M., K. Gayathri, R. Venkatalakshmi, and C. Sasikala. 2010. Chemical constituents of hydro alcoholic extract
and phenolic fraction of Cynodon dactylon. International Journal of Chemistry and Technology Research 2 (1):149–54.
Simoncic, B. 2010. Structures of novel antimicrobial agents for textiles – A review. Textile Research Journal 80
(16):1721–37. doi:10.1177/0040517510363193.
Sudha, P., K. Kavitha, P. Suganya, A. Reni, and P. Hemaprabha. 2011. Studies on thermal processed probiotic enriched
bermuda grass juice. International Journal of Current Research 3 (2):37–41.
Tuorila, H., and A. V. Cardello. 2002. Consumer responses to an off-flavor in juice in the presence of specific health
claims. Food Quality and Preference 13 (7):561–69. doi:10.1016/S0950-3293(01)00076-3.
Vaideki, K., S. Jayakumar, G. Thilagavathi, and R. Rajendran. 2007. A study on the antimicrobial efficacy of RF oxygen
plasma and neem extract treated cotton fabrics. Applied Surface Science 253 (17):7323–29. doi:10.1016/j.
apsusc.2007.03.014.
Varshney, R. K., V. K. Kothari, and S. Dhamija. 2010. A study on thermophysiological comfort properties of fabrics in
relation to constituent fibre fineness and cross-sectional shapes. The Journal of the Textile Institute 101 (6):495–505.
doi:10.1080/00405000802542184.