We compared the effectiveness of amidase (amano acylase, AA) and an endopeptidase, (trypsin, TR) in modifying the hydrophobicity of polyamide fabric. We evaluated the number of amino groups released into the reaction mixture in order to optimize the treatment conditions. We found that a large number of amino groups were released into the reaction mixture due to the cleavage of amide bonds by AA hydrolysis; however, the TR hydrolysis exhibited a relatively lower activity compared to AA hydrolysis. In AA and TR hydrolysis, significant differences were observed in the K/S values and moisture regain. Amide bonds in polyamide fabric were hydrolyzed by AA hydrolysis effectively. Compared to TR, AA formed more hydrolysis product (amino groups) on the fabric surface. Thus, the hydrophobicity of polyamide fabric was modified using AA hydrolysis (as verified by the wettability test) without any deterioration of fiber strength.

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