Preparation of Ionic Cellulose for Wrinkle Resistant Fabrics

Abstract

Conventional treatment of cellulosic fabrics by formaldehyde-based cross-linkers provides improved wrinkle recovery angles (WRA) and durable press (DP) performance. But these treatments suffer from strength loss and later release of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Ionic crosslinking offers a potential solution to these problems, and has shown improved wrinkle recovery performance in previous studies. In the current novel method of ionic crosslinking for wrinkle resistant fabrics, the cellulosic fabric is treated with salt of mono chloroacetic acid and 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHTAC) sequentially or in mixture to form covalently bonded anionic and cationic sites on cellulose, which are durable to washing, and which form inter/intra molecular ionic cross-links. There is no later release of hazardous chemicals involved with this treatment and improved wet WRA are obtained. Fabric treated by this method gained tensile strength and breaking strain compared to the untreated fabric. Different routes for chloroacetate treatment are presented. Pad-dry-pad-cure is the most efficient route and a functional relationship between the anionic content and the process parameters is established. Analytical techniques like confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to confirm the morphological changes and occurrence of carboxymethylation reaction in the fiber interior.