A novel crease-resistant and hydrophobic dual-function foam coating for silk fabric by the one-step method

Abstract

A dual-function silk fabric possessing crease-resistance and hydrophobicity is obtained by one-step foam finishing. A system with a high foaming ratio, containing hydrophobic reagent, crease-resistant agent, and foaming agent, is achieved by optimizing the hydrophobic agent. The results show the foamability and foam stability of finishing solution are enhanced slightly with the increase of the foaming agent dosage. The hydrophobicity and crease-resistance of the treated silk fabric are significantly improved. The contact angle of the treated silk fabric is increased to 132.6 ± 0.7° with the hydrophobic agent addition; meanwhile, the crease recovery angle was improved from 212.5 to 230.3° compared with the silk treated by crease-resistant agent, resulting from the cross-linking reaction of hydroxyls between the hydrophobic agent and silk fabric. SEM images reveal that the surface roughness of the finished silk fabric exhibits an obvious enhancement, indicating a film is formed by the resin curing on the fabric surface, which also explains why the crease-resistance and hydrophobicity of silk fabric are improved. The tearing strength retention ratio is increased 160% after the one-bath finishing of crease-resistant reagent and hydrophobic agent, and the breaking strength of the silk fabric is well maintained. The one-step foam finishing is a facile and energy-saving technology to endow the silk fabric with crease-resistance and hydrophobicity dual-function.

Study on the structure-activity relationships between superimposed polymer membranes based on graphene doped cationic hydrophilic polyurethane and the pilling & static resistance of coated cashmere fabrics

“…22 Evidently, the continuous distribution of film-forming polymers on the surface of cashmere fiber must be effectively controlled and made as thin as possible to ensure that graphene existing in the polymer membrane is partially exposed, which is a requirement for the function, hand-feel, and durability of antipilling and antistatic cashmere textile. 23,24 Therefore, this study designed superimposed polymer membranes on the surface of cashmere fiber through "bottom coating" (BC) plus "top coating" (TC) with cationic waterborne polyurethane (Figure 1). The effects of different micro-coating techniques on the pilling resistance, static resistance, anti-UV resistance, and washing properties of the coated cashmere textile were studied.…”

Study on the performance of a new type of bobbin silk reeling machine

“…Silk is one of the lightest and most slender natural fibers in nature and has good smoothness, luster, elasticity, and biocompatibility, making it a “fiber queen.” 1,2 Silk is frequently employed in clothes, decorations, medical treatments, cosmetics, healthcare, and other industries due to its exceptional performance. 3–5 The silk industry is an essential aspect of developing countries’ economies because it offers large rural communities a significant source of revenue. 6 The conventional silk-making process includes cocoon drying, storage, sorting, cocoon cooking, silk reeling, re-reeling, and finishing.…”

Effect of the direct introduction of disulfide groups with 2-iminothiolane hydrochloride on wrinkle recovery of natural protein fibers

“…Various improvement methods for wool fabrics have been proposed, including incorporating some bulky molecules, 5,6 cross-linking, 5 resin treatment, 5 high flexibility polymer treatment, 6 natural polymers, 7 and mercury (II) acetate. 5 For silk fabrics, various improvement methods have been proposed, for example, cross-linking, 1,8 resin treatment, 1,2,9 and graft-copolymerization. 1,3 However, these methods cannot improve wrinkle recovery without changing the physical properties of natural fabrics, such as hand feel, weight, and color tone.…”