STUDY ON ALKYL KETENE DIMER AS ASSISTANT TO RESIN-TREATMENT OF CELLULOSIC FABRIC

Abstract

It is known that applying softening agents to the resin-treated fabric improves greatly its physical properties which are decreased by resin-treatment.Authors studied the changes in the physical properties and nitrogen content of resin treated fabric, resulting from addition of alkyl ketene dimers, which are varied in alkyl chain length and concentration to resin-treating bath.As was expected, the results was obtained that addition of alkyl ketene dimer to resin-treating bath improved exellently the physical strengthes of the fabric being decreased by resin-treatment.As to wrinkle recovery, alkyl ketene dimers used to lubricate the surface of the fibres, resulted in much improved angular recovery of the fabric as compared with the fabric treated by resin only. The improvement in wrinkle recovery is probably due to their efficiency as lubricants for alkyl ketene dimers allow the fibres to slip, thereby facilitating the removal of creases. Moreover, exellent water repellent property is imparted tr the fabric by using alkyl ketene dimer as softener whose carbon number in alkyl chain is more than 10, and water repellency is little lost by repeated washes.As to nitrogen content of the fabric, the following results were obtained.1. When cotton fabric is treated with Sumitex Resin 901 (dimethylol ethylene urea), addition of alkyl ketene dimers to resin-treating bath has no effect on its nitrogen content, that is, alkyl ketene dimer does not interrupt cross-linking reaction of dimethylol ethylene urea between OH radicals of cellulose, within the ranges studied, and that it is known that alkyl ketene dimer chemically reacts to OH radical of cellulose, in the fact that the physical strength and water repellency are little lost by repeated washes.2. On the other hand, viscose rayon staple fabric being treated with Sumitex Cream 450 (mal nomethylol urea), addition of alkyl ketene dimers to resin-treating bath decreases its nitrogen content, that _??_is, alkyl ketene dimer interrupts the deposition of polymerized resin in micellar interstices of cellulose. But such decrease of nitrogen content has no bad effect on wrinkle recovery, it is very effective to add alkyl ketene dimer to resin-treating bath in respect of improving the physical properties of resin-treated viscose rayon staple fabric.