Reagent Migration and the Performance of Durable-Press Fabrics

Abstract

In order to delineate the effects on reagent migration on the textile-performance properties of durable-press fabrics, dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and N-methylolpolyethyleneurea, degree of polymerization = 2, were applied to cotton printcloth under slow and rapid drying conditions, which effected uniform and nonuniform crosslink distributions through the fabric thickness. These reagents are representative of conventional and network polymer forming cross-linking reagents, respectively. The crosslink uniformity (or nonuniformity) was measured in the DMDHEU series with a negative Direct Red 81 staining technique. Fabrics with a uniform distribution of crosslinks throughout the fabric thickness were the point of reference. The concentration of crosslinks on fabric surfaces effected by reagent migration during rapid drying resulted in a) comparable development of resilience, b) slightly better retentions of breaking strength, tearing strength, and elongation, c) greater weight losses in Accelerotor abrasion, and d) comparable retention of Stoll-flex abrasion resistance. These trends occurred with both reagent systems and were detected at both the low and high levels of reagent incorporation. The results are discussed in relation to the distribution of crosslinks.

Crosslinking of cotton cellulose in the presence of alkyl diallyl ammonium salts. I. Physical properties and agent distribution

“…The K/S and [D] f values of the finished fabrics listed in Table II are plotted in Figure 6 according to the method described by Rowland et al, 13,14 and the linear relationships are similar to their results.…”

Alkali pretreatments and crosslinking of lyocell fabrics

“…For the same crosslinker content, the crease recovery is greater if there is a uniform distribution of crosslinks through the fiber bulk than if the crosslinks are localized at the fiber surface (Joarder et al 1969;Grant et al 1968;Bertoniere et al 1981). But, a uniform distribution of crosslinks also tends to reduce tensile strength while preserving abrasion resistance, and a greater surface localization of crosslinks preserves the tensile strength but reduces the abrasion resistance (Bertoniere et al 1981;Rowland et al 1983). As seen in the results above, the crease recovery and strength loss in the crosslinked pieces varied significantly with the alkali type and its concentration in pretreatment.…”

Alkali pretreatment and resin finishing of lyocell: Effect of sodium hydroxide pretreatments

“…For the same crosslinker content, better crease recovery is obtained if greater penetration and more uniform distribution of the crosslinker exist through fiber/yarn cross sections than if the crosslinker is restricted to their surfaces. [18][19][20] The dip in CRA values exhibited by the samples pretreated with 4 mol/L NaOH is indicative of high rigidity and low elastic recovery. The large crease recovery improvements in the resin-finished samples pretreated with 4-8 mol/L NaOH may be attributed to the greater penetration of the crosslinker within the fibers and yarns in the samples.…”

“…A higher surface concentration of the crosslinker leads to reduced abrasion resistance but preserves tenacity, whereas greater penetration leading to a more uniform distribution of the crosslinker through the fabric structure preserves abrasion resistance but reduces tenacity. 20,26 The amounts of MgCl 2 used as a catalyst in the resin finishing treatments ranged from 12.6 to 32.7 g/L, but there were generally no differences in the work of rupture between the resin-finished sets. There were also no differences in the abrasion resistance between the no-resin, DMeDHEU, and DMU sets among samples from control pretreatments.…”