Abstract
The mechanism of softening effect for fabric softeners has been explained as lowering of friction between the fibers. This explanation, however, has not been verified. The trend date of B-value of KES-FB2 and the result of perfect drying cotton threads indicate that the increase of hardness of cotton threads after the process of wetting by water and drying is caused by the cross-linking by the bound water between the cotton fibers. Thus, the softening effect of fabric softeners can mainly be discussed as the prevention of the formation of this cross-linkage.
Highlights
The utility of cationic surfactants as household softeners was discovered incidentally in the course of a research on direct-dye water-resistant conditioning agents for cotton fibers in the 1930s (Evance, 1969)
Household softeners were first sold in the US in 1955 (Egan, 1978; Puchta,1984) and, in 1962, Kao Softer was introduced to Japanese market as the first softener with the dual action of fabric softening and imparting anti-static properties (Minegishi, 1977)
The reason for the fiber surfaces having a negative charge is that the chemical structure of cotton fiber is composed of cellulose, part of which changes to a structure containing a carboxyl group through oxidation reactions (Buecking, Loetsch, & Taeuber, 1984)
Summary
The utility of cationic surfactants as household softeners was discovered incidentally in the course of a research on direct-dye water-resistant conditioning agents for cotton fibers in the 1930s (Evance, 1969). Household softeners were first sold in the US in 1955 (Egan, 1978; Puchta,1984) and, in 1962, Kao Softer was introduced to Japanese market as the first softener with the dual action of fabric softening and imparting anti-static properties (Minegishi, 1977). This product subsequently became established as a laundry consumer product indispensable and essential to our daily lives; it currently holds a domestic market share of approximately 100 billion JPY (Japan Nichiyohin-Keshohin Shimbun,2013). This study summarizes existing researches on the essence of softening, focusing on cotton fiber, to determine how cotton is softened
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