Mercerized cotton

Mercerized cotton at 200x in polarized light

Description

Mercerized cotton at 200x in transmitted light

Cotton thread that has been treated with Sodium hydroxide followed by washing in hot Water. The mercerization process shrinks the cotton while it increases the threads strength, luster and ability to accept dyes. John Mercer, a British textile printer, patented the process in 1850.

Synonyms and Related Terms

algodón mercerizado (Esp.); gemerceriseerde katoen (Ned);

Additional Images

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  Bleached mercerized cotton poplin

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  Bleached mercerized cotton twill

Resources and Citations

• Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998