Improving the Anti-Pilling Performance of Cellulose Fiber Blended Knitted Fabrics with 2,4,6-Trichloropyrimidine Treatment

Xue Dong,Tieling Xing,Guoqiang Chen

doi:10.3390/coatings10100969

Abstract

Pilling is a common and unresolved problem in knitted fabrics, especially for the cellulose fiber blended fabrics, which not only causes an unattractive appearance and an uncomfortable handle, but also reduces the added value of the products. In this study, four different kinds of knitted fabrics were treated with 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine (TLP) alkaline emulsion by dipping and pad–dry–cure modification processes. The surface morphology and chemical structure of original and treated fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The anti-pilling performance, thermal properties, physical and mechanical properties and color features of treated fabrics were also evaluated. The results indicated that TLP was successfully covalently crosslinked onto the surface of the cellulose fibers. The dipping process resulted in a better anti-pilling property than that of the pad–dry–cure process, and both treatments could bring about an excellent anti-pilling property and outstanding laundering durability. A pilling grade of 4.5 was achieved for the treated polyester/viscose (T/V) fabric with the dipping process even after 20 washing cycles. In addition, the treated fabrics displayed an enhanced antistatic property and still maintained a soft handle. Besides, the bursting strength and air permeability of treated samples were found to have a slight deterioration, while no apparent differences were found in the color parameters and colorfastness of dyed fabrics. The above results demonstrate that 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine has the potential application prospect in the functional finishing and home-caring of textiles.

Highlights

Cotton and viscose are important cellulose fibers, which are commonly used in the textile industry for producing high-grade fabrics and clothing due to their outstanding properties of a soft handle, good hydrophilicity, biodegradability, air permeability and skin-friendly [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Four different kinds of cellulose fiber blended knitted fabrics were treated with an alkaline 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine emulsion system by dipping and pad–dry–cure processes to improve the anti-pilling performance
The results suggested that the finishing process provided films and particles on the surface of the fabrics and crosslinking occurred between fibers, which restricted the entanglement of the fiber ends on the surface of the fabrics and the fiber movements, reducing the phenomenon of fabric pilling

Summary

Introduction

Cotton and viscose are important cellulose fibers, which are commonly used in the textile industry for producing high-grade fabrics and clothing due to their outstanding properties of a soft handle, good hydrophilicity, biodegradability, air permeability and skin-friendly [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Pilling of knitted cellulose fibers products is an undesirable phenomenon during wearing and laundering that affects the handle and appearance and greatly shortens the service life of the products [7,8,9,10]. Pilling of knitted cellulose fabrics is a complex and dynamic process, in which the loose fibers separate from the yarn due to mechanical stresses such as rubbing, external pressure and fiber–fiber friction, and intertwine with each other and appear on the surface of the fabric, resulting in pilling phenomenon [4,11,12,13]. Coatings 2020, 10, 969 improving the inter-fiber friction coefficient and mobility of fibers in the yarn are the key factors to reduce fabric pilling [15]. Montazer et al [19]

Methods

Results

Conclusion