Utilization of newly tailored modified starch products in easy-care finishing

Abstract

To impart easy care properties to cotton fabrics along with decreasing the great loss in strength properties during finishing processes. Attempts have been made to add what we called tailored modified starch products in easy care finishing formulation. So, carboxymethylated starches (CMS) and poly (acrylic acid)-grafted starch copolymers (PAGS) prepared from three levels of hydrolyzed starches (H 1-, H 2-, and H 3- starch) having different degree of hydrolysis and three levels of oxidized starches (O 1-, O 2-, and O 3- starch) having different degree of oxidation were synthesized. Hydrolyzed starch (H3) was taken as a blank substrate. The impact of the latter tailored starches on fabric performance when used in the cross linking formulation (containing finishing agent and catalyst) at a concentration range 5–50 g/l was studied. The results obtained reflects the following findings: (a) the nitrogen content, crease recovery angles and tensile strength of cotton fabric finished in the presence of these modified starches increases by increasing the extent of either hydrolysis or oxidation of the parent starch, (b) increasing the concentration of the modified starches from 5 to 50 g/l in the finishing bath is accompanied by an increment in the nitrogen content and tensile strength while the crease recovery angles decrease, (c) the increase in the nitrogen content and tensile strength of the finished fabrics follow the order: carboxymethylated starches>poly (AA)-grafted starches>hydrolyzed starches and (d) the fabric samples treated in the presence of aforementioned modified starches derived from hydrolyzed starches acquire higher nitrogen content, crease recovery angles and tensile strength values than those derived from oxidized starches within the range studied.