Abstract: Lyocell fibers feature high strength, and fabrics woven from them are soft, comfortable, and highly breathable, making them widely used in the textile and apparel field. However, lyocell fabrics swell significantly upon water absorption, resulting in a stiff hand feel and susceptibility to surface fibrillation.To improve the water-induced swelling behavior and investigate the effects of the optimal process, this study comparatively examined the swelling coefficient, moisture regain, drape, abrasion resistance, easycare performance, hand feel, and post-wash hairiness of fabrics subjected to different finishing processes. The results indicate that, compared with conventional finishing, the three easy-care finishing treatments (i.e., easy-care finishing Q1, Q2, and Q3) improved the water-swelling behavior of the fabrics, yielding excellent wrinkle resistance, good drape, and a smooth hand feel. Moreover, the fabric treated with easycare finishing Q2 exhibited the least post-wash hairiness, while the fabric treated with easy-care finishing Q3 demonstrated the softest hand feel, along with the best smoothness and wrinkle resistance.

Key words: lyocell; easy-care finishing; liquid ammonia finishing; performance characteristics