Enhancing Wool Fabric Easy Care Properties by Shape Memory Polyurethane Finishing

Abstract

<jats:p>Wool fabrics having temperature sensitive shape memory effect were fabricated by using a shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) treatment. The contribution of SMPU treatment on bagging recovery and felting shrinkage, crucial properties for end use performance, was investigated by a test procedure including hot water conditions simulating laundry of garments according to the Woolmark TM31 standard. Chemical and morphological analyses, bending rigidity, and tear strength tests were also carried out to determine the effects of SMPU treatment on performance properties. SMPU treatment significantly increased weight and rigidity of fabrics. Most notably, SMPU treated wool fabric exhibited excellent temperature sensitive bagging recovery stimulated by a washing procedure. Also, anti-felting and weight loss performances were quite high compared to raw and commercial polyurethane-treated fabrics.</jats:p>

A novel approach for developing smart cotton fabric with dynamic breathability and easy care features

“…SMPU-CNW nanocomposites enable water-responsive shape memory effect depending on the plasticization and percolation network formed by CNWs whose hydrogen bonds can be reversibly regulated by water molecules [55][56][57][58] beside temperature-induced shape memory effect originally existing in SMPU. These nanocomposites were applied to wool [24,52,53] and polyester fabrics [25] as finishing applications and the results are convincing for dynamic crease recovery/retention and porosity changes of fabrics enabling smart breathability. In this context, mentioned dual smart function of SMPU-CNW nanocomposites may be a tool for crease recovery and retention functions during standard laundry and drying procedures without the need for ironing besides smart permeability in dynamic conditions.…”

“…Pulcra-HPU exhibited peaks at 3435 cm -1 (-NH absorption peak) and 1102 cm -1 (-C-O-C-) (Figure 3(b)). SMPU exhibited peaks at 3449 cm -1 (urethane stretching vibration), 2861 cm -1 and 2927 cm -1 (-CH2 stretching), 1463, 1406, 1345, and 1294 cm -1 (other modes of -CH2 vibrations), 1737 cm -1 (C=O stretching), and 1544 cm -1 (-NH), and 1051 cm -1 (-C2H4-O-C2H4-ether group) [24,25,52,53] (Figure 3(d)).…”

“…An alternative smart method by using shape memory polymers (SMPs) was suggested to obtain novel shape memory effect upon body temperature, home laundry, steaming, and hot wind tumble drying processes which enables environmentally adoptable crease recovery and retention behaviours [17][18][19][20][21], dimensional stability, pattern keeping and bagging recovery [22][23][24][25]. Among the reported SMPs, thermally responsive shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) has paved the way for developing smart garments which have adaptability to dynamic environmental and body physiological changes in the form of films [26][27][28], fiber/yarn to produce fabrics [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44], fabric coating/ finishing applications [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52].…”

Design and Fabrication of Bistratal Functional Anionic Polyurethane Membrane on the Surface of Cashmere Fiber Based on Foaming Micro-Coating and the Studies of its Structure–Activity Relationships

“…The difficulties we have to face are that, for the surface chemical treatment of cashmere fiber, its dense and hydrophobic scale structure will not only make it easy to pill and accumulate electrostatic, but also prevent various chemicals from adhering to its surface. 7–9 In other words, it is difficult to avoid the choice of impregnation or coating techniques based on polymers in order to give cashmere fiber certain washable anti-pilling and antistatic properties. 10…”

Study on the structure-activity relationships between superimposed polymer membranes based on graphene doped cationic hydrophilic polyurethane and the pilling & static resistance of coated cashmere fabrics

“…One of the difficulties in the surface chemical treatment of cashmere fiber is derived from its dense and hydrophobic scale structure, which easily causes pilling and electrostatic accumulation but also prevents various chemicals from adhering to the surface. 15,16 To endow wool fabrics with anti-pilling and anti-felting properties, Chang et al prepared silica nanocapsules through silica shells and hyperbranched polyethoxysiloxane (PEOS-m PEG) with a self-assembly method. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposite anti-felting agent films were improved in comparison with the neat polymer, and correspondingly the pilling-resistance of textiles was improved.…”