Editing Mercerisation (section)

== Development ==
The process was devised in 1844 by [[John Mercer (scientist)|John Mercer]],<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Mercerizing |volume=18 |pages=150–151 |first=Edmund |last=Knecht}}</ref> who treated cotton with solutions of{{nbsp}}20–30% [[sodium hydroxide]] followed by washing. Mercer observed that the treatment shrank the fabric and increased its tensile strength and affinity for dyes. In the original process of Mercer, no tension was applied. The product was termed ''fulled cotton'', a nod to the process of [[fulling]] in woven wool fabric. Mercer regarded the increased affinity for dyes as the most important technical aspect. Mercer also experimented with [[sulfuric acid]] and [[zinc chloride]] solutions and discovered the [[Parchmentised cotton|parchmentising]] effect of sulfuric acid.<ref>{{citation | author=J. T. Marsh | chapter=Dispersion Processes | title=An Introduction To Textile Finishing | year=1948 | pages=111-133 | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.6810}}</ref>

The silk-like lustre now commonly associated with mercerising is produced by tension and was discovered by [[Horace Arthur Lowe|Horace Lowe]] in 1889.<ref name=EB1911/>