Mechanical strength of durable press finished cotton fabric part V: Poly(vinyl alcohol) as an additive to improve fabric abrasion resistance

Abstract

AbstractMultifunctional carboxylic acids, such as 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), are effective crosslinking agents for cotton cellulose and have become the most promising nonformaldehyde durable press (DP) finishing agents to replace the traditional formaldehyde‐based dimethyloldihydroxylethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and its derivatives. DP finishing imparts wrinkle resistance to cotton fabrics and also severely reduces the strength and abrasion resistance of finished fabrics. In this research, we investigated the use of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as an additive to improve the abrasion resistance of the cotton fabric crosslinked by BTCA. We found that addition of PVA improves the abrasion resistance of the crosslinked cotton fabric when the concentration of PVA exceeds 0.6% in the finish solution. We also found that the use of PVA as an additive has no negative effect on the wrinkle recovery angle (WRA), DP rating, and tensile strength of the treated cotton fabric. This is probably because the molecules of PVA stay on the surfaces of the cotton fibers due to their large molecular sizes. PVA competes with cellulose to esterify BTCA, thus reducing the number of crosslinkages formed on the cotton fiber surface. The reaction of PVA and BTCA may also form a protective layer on the fiber surface, thus reinforcing the mechanically weak points on the fiber surface. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3940–3946, 2004