Modified polyamide fibres with improved consumer properties. A review

Abstract

and not in the bulk of the PCA, is better than perturbation of the regularity of the structure of PCA was substantiated. The determining role of the functional groups in polydimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) graft quaternary salt in hydrophilization of modified molten fibres was demonstrated. A complex evaluation of the properties of the highly hygroscopic cotton-like modified PCA fibre Caprilon was given. A distinctive feature of the development of chemical fibre production in the last decade and for the future is the continuous increase in the specific volume of synthetic fibres. However, although the use of these fibres in technology is totally substantiated and expedient, some drawbacks of these fibres and the articles made from them are becoming increasingly apparent during the use of some types of synthetic fibres for production of consumer products. Many textile articles made of synthetic fibres have poor consumer properties despite their many valuable physicomechanical characteristics. Even such large-tonnage fibres as polyester fibres do not satisfy consumer requirements on many indexes. This is even truer of articles made of polyamide fibres -- primarily their hygienic properties, comfort, and external appearance. Faced with a large variety of textile goods, the modern consumer needs articles which successfully combine such properties of chemical fibres as high resistance to wear, high elasticity (crease resistance), sufficient strength, and having the unique properties of natural fibres which ensure comfort and hygiene of the articles and a pleasant soft touch. If we assume that in the current stage of development, production of consumer goods is a priority direction, then the urgency and economic importance of research on improving the consumer properties of large-tonnage synthetic fibres becomes obvious. In examining the current state of the problem of modifying synthetic fibres to increase their consumer properties, three basic trends can be distinguished: an increase in the moisture-absorption power, a decrease in electrifiableness, and improvement of the "touch" of the fibre. Cotton cloth is usually used as the criterion of a good level of hygroscopy of materials and as the standard in studies to reduce the electrifiableness of chemical fibres, determined with the specific (bulk or surface) electric resistance. The comfort of clothing -- the antipode of discomfort frequently mentioned in wearing clothing made of synthetic materials -- is closely correlated with the hygienic properties. In Papkov~s opinion [1], discomfort is the consequence of poor elimination of heat and heat-liberated moisture, especially during physical exertion. Increased electrification of the clothing during wear also makes them uncomfortable. Methods of evaluating the comfort of clothing now basically consist of unilateral determinations of moisture absorption, moisture elimination, vapor permeability, etc. Comfort can be qualitatively characterized by experimental wear of the clothing. However, in this case, the comparison is with cotton articles which are ideal textile materials in this respect. The terms "cotton-like" and "wool-like" are widely used with respect to the touch of staple fibres and the textiles made from them. A relatively large variety of indexes are thus considered in using the definition "fibres similar to natural fibres." However, it must be remembered that in some cases investigators are referring to organoleptic properties (touch) and to high hygroscopicity in others, while in still others, a set of sorption, hygienic, and organoleptic properties for modified chemical fibres called similar to natural fibres, in particular, in the group of cotton-like fibres. Different methods of modification of