Abstract
Environmental concerns related to perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) led to a re-examination of the methods for imparting stain resistance and stain repellency to textiles. Non-PFOA fluoropolymer finishes have been formed on cotton knits by admicellar polymerization, a surface analogue of emulsion polymerization. Fabric samples were characterized by a drop test, contact angle measurements, SEM, elemental analysis and durability studies. Stain resistance and stain release properties were assessed by reflectance and AATCC tests with results comparing favorably with swatches from commercially available garments. Admicellar polymerization enabled the formation of durable finishes that exhibited high performance in stain resistance and stain repellency.
Highlights
In recent years, several technologies have been developed for modifying cotton blends and cotton as multi-functional textiles
In this paper we examine the use of admicellar polymerization to prepare knit type cotton fabric with stain release/stain resistant features
Interlock type knit cotton fabric was purchased from Alamac American Knits
Summary
Several technologies have been developed for modifying cotton blends and cotton as multi-functional textiles. Nanoparticles of fluorochemical coated silica and of gold have been applied to cotton and other fabrics to create a chemically inert fiber surface with superlyophobic properties [11,12,13,14,15,16] This broad range of approaches reflects the interest and challenges in this area. Admicellar polymerization has been expanded into the textile area with application of finishes to impart functionality like flame retardancy, blocking of UV radiation, and water repellency [21,22,23]. This method is a simple, water-based process using low energy and a small amount of chemicals. The fluoropolymer finishes are characterized by standard and improvised test methods and compared to commercially available stain release/stain resistant fabrics for performance and durability
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