Synthesis and Application of Oxidized Trehalose as a Hydrophilic Anti-crease Finishing Reagent for Cotton Fabric

Abstract

In order to improve the anti-crease property of cotton fabrics, it is necessary to chemically cross-link functional groups in the fabric via anti-crease finishing. However, the large amount of hydroxyl groups in cotton cellulose is consumed during the cross-linking finishing process, which greatly reduces the hydrophilicity of the fabric, and thus, staining of cotton fabrics is greatly reduced. Consequently, the fabric becomes non-conducive to subsequent processing and is not well suited for typical applications of cotton fabric. In this paper, a new type of anti-crease finishing reagent for cotton fabric was prepared by using sodium periodate to oxidize Trehalose. This new finishing improved the anti-crease property, and the hydrophilicity and staining of the fabric. The optimum preparation process of oxidized trehalose (OTr) was determined by analyzing the influence of initial pH, molar ratio of trehalose to sodium periodate, and the reaction time on the amount of aldehyde groups formed. The structure of OTr was characterized by FTIR, 13C NMR, MALDI-TOF mass, and the reaction process of OTr was analyzed. The anti-crease property, stiffness, whiteness, tensile strength, hydrophilicity and staining property of fabrics treated with OTr was compared to conventional anti-crease finishing reagents. Results show that the anti-crease property and stiffness of the OTr-treated fabric were significantly improved. The crease recovery angle reached 254°. The whiteness, tensile strength, hydrophilicity and staining of the fabric remained closer to that of the non-treated fabric, as compared to other anti-crease treatments.