Abstract
An attempt has been made to develop shrink resistance cotton textile by making it hydrophobic. The cotton fabric was made hydrophobic by treating with fluorocarbon resin emulsion at varying concentrations along with catalyst. The hydrophobicity was measured by carrying out water repellency test and also determining the water contact angle. The air permeability of cotton fabric was also determined and was not adversely affected. The untreated and treated cotton fabric was subjected to repeated domestic laundry condition and shrinkage was measured. In order to determine the impact of fluorocarbon treatment on fabric, the physical properties of treated and untreated cotton fabrics were compared. No adverse impact was observed in colour fastness properties. The tensile and tear strength showed good retention even at higher concentration of water repellent chemicals. This work finds wide use in home textiles and hotel industry. This work is of industrial interest as value added shrink resistance cotton textiles can fetch more export earnings.
Highlights
IntroductionCotton is still the most popular fibre because of its several advantages
Among cellulose fibres, cotton is still the most popular fibre because of its several advantages
The moisture is absorbed in the amorphous region of cotton, water molecules act as lubricant and helps in movement of internal polymer chains
Summary
Cotton is still the most popular fibre because of its several advantages. Since cotton readily absorbs moisture, it is susceptible towards shrinkage. The moisture is absorbed in the amorphous region of cotton, water molecules act as lubricant and helps in movement of internal polymer chains. The movement of internal polymer chains are facilitated by disrupting the hydrogen bonding among polymer chains in amorphous region. In order to relieve stress in a stressed cellulose fibre, the internal polymer chains of the amorphous areas move freely. The new hydrogen bonds are formed in the swollen state of cellulose in new configuration in the amorphous region and are locked after drying. The wrinkled appearance of the cellulose fabric persists even after drying, in contrast to non swelling synthetic fibres (Lam et al 2011) and the fabric shrinks (Schindler and Hauser 2004)
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