Sustainable Water-Resistant Cotton Fabrics Coated with a Chitosan/Wax Composite Extracted from Discarded Outer Cabbage Leaves

The water-resistant properties of a chitosan/OCL wax composite were evaluated on cotton fabrics using a dip-coating method. The plant-based wax was extracted from discarded outer cabbage leaves. The influence of the chitosan-to-OCL wax weight ratio on textile properties-including wettability, air permeability, mechanical performance, and stiffness-was systematically investigated. In addition, laundering tests were conducted to assess the durability of the coating. The results demonstrated that the cotton fabric coated with a chitosan/OCL wax composite at a 70/30 weight ratio exhibited the highest hydrophobicity, achieving a water contact angle of 157.87°. The coated cotton fabrics also showed good washing stability. Measurements of bending length and flexural rigidity revealed that cotton fabrics coated with the chitosan/OCL wax composite exhibited greater stiffness than the untreated samples. The combined use of chitosan and OCL wax provided a synergistic enhancement in water-resistant performance. These findings highlight the potential of the chitosan/OCL wax composite as a non-toxic and environmentally friendly finishing agent for cotton fabrics.