Development of hydrophilic anti-crease finishing method for Cotton fabric using alpha-Lipoic acid without causing strength loss and formaldehyde release problem

Abstract

Extensive research and practice on anti-crease of cotton fabric has been made in the past few decades because of its easy creasing properties. However, it has not achieved a good balance between anti-crease performance, strength loss, hydrophilicity and formaldehyde release until now. In this study, for the first time, α-lipoic acid (ALA) which contains bifunctional groups, carboxyl group and disulfide bond, has been successfully used as an innovative cross-linking agent in the anti-crease functionalization to prepare high crease resistant and hydrophilic cotton fabric without strength loss and formaldehyde release. The mechanism between ALA and cellulose through esterification, disulfide breaking and reconstruction, and anti-crease mechanism based on topological disulfide bridges among cellulosic molecules were illustrated in terms of the characterization analyses of cross-linked ALA and poly(α-lipoic acid). This study provides a completely different idea for the preparation of anti-crease cotton fabric with high strength and hydrophilic without negative environmental impact.