Non‐formaldehyde durable press finishing of dyed fabrics: evaluation of cotton‐bound polycarboxylic acids

Abstract

The polycarboxylic acids 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid and citric acid are used as nonformaldehyde durable press finishing agents instead of formaldehyde‐releasing N‐methylol compounds. In this study, isocratic HPLC is applied in an attempt to quantify the polycarboxylic acids that react with cellulosic material dyed with CI Reactive Red 195, CI Reactive Yellow 145 and CI Reactive Blue 221. Subsequently, the fabrics are cured with formulations containing butanetetracarboxylic acid and citric acid or a combination of both. The chromatographic determination reveals that an increase in the depth of shade results in a decrease of the amount of butanetetracarboxylic acid, except in the case when the cotton is dyed with CI Reactive Blue 221, a copper formazan complex‐based dyestuff. Colour measurements indicate that the ΔE* values decrease in the order CI Reactive Yellow 145, CI Reactive Red 195 and CI Reactive Blue 221.