Technology Details

Area of Technology:Engineering Sciences

Title of the Innovation: Multifunctional Insecticidal Bi-component Filament for Long Lasting Mosquito Net

Brief About Innovation

Multifunctional Insecticidal Bi-component Filament for Long Lasting Mosquito Net

Insecticide-loaded textile articles are used to provide protection against vector borne diseases. This technology describes a method for making insecticide-incorporated filaments having long lasting efficiency against vector protection. Pyrethroids, a family of insecticides that includes permethrin, alpha-cypermethrin and deltamethrin (DM) are highly effective in killing mosquitoes, by disabling their nervous systems. WHO sanctioned the use of selected set of these pyrethroids. DM has a much longer duration as well as stronger insecticidal activity than other commonly available insecticides; therefore, the doses needed for protection against mosquitoes are extremely low. So, it is efficiently economical. DM is also advantageous because its activity persists over a wide range of temperature. Various insecticide formulation-containing binders have been used to impart insecticidal efficiency on knitted fabric by exhaust/pad method. However, these fabrics could not sustain their insecticidal efficacy after repeated laundry washes. In order to achieve durability, insecticides have been incorporated into polymer matrix prior to melt spinning. Incorporation of insecticide into textile articles also has its regulation limit, and if insecticide has been incorporated only into surface of filament instead of entire cross-section then enhanced insecticidal efficiency will be resulted.

We initiated bi-component filament-spinning route having sheath-core structure where insecticide is in the sheath only. DRDO has developed insecticidal filaments successfully having 100% mortality up to 20 wash cycles for long-lasting effect, incorporating insecticide in the yarn. The developed yarn shows adequate tenacity and elongation. The insecticideincorporated knitted fabric also possesses excellent bursting strength. Thus, the bicomponent melt-spinning technique can be effectively used to manufacture insecticide-incorporated filaments having long-lasting efficacy that can be further converted into various textile stores such as long-lasting insecticidal net, tents, shelters and curtains.