Fabric properties of butadienediepoxide-treated cottons as affected by liquid ammonia pretreatments

Abstract

SynopsisEffects of liquid ammonia and mercerizing-strength caustic as pretreatments upon textile properties of cotton sheeting modified with butadienediepoxide (BDO) catalyzed by 2% and 15% NaOH were compared. Tensile properties of the NaOH-mercerized control (CM) (celluloses I and 11) greatly exceeded those of native (cellulose I) and ammonia-treated (NH3) controls. NH3(I) and NH3(III) are those cottons having the cellulose I and mixed celluloses I and I11 lattices, respectively. Resistance to flex abrasion was doubled by pretreatments. Wrinkle recoveries of all controls were equivalent, but tensile recovery differed. BDO reaction enhanced wrinkle recovery of controls but produced the usual losses in tensile properties and resistance to flex abrasion associated with crosslinking reagents. BDO reaction nullified the initial tensile advantage held by CM cotton. Tear strengths of all BDO-treated cottons remained comparable. High dry and high wet recoveries were obtained only when 2% NaOH catalyzed the BDO reaction and were greatest for NH3 cottons. BDO reaction reduced permanent set of all controls and increased tensile recovery primarily by enlarging the delayed recovery. Postmercerization with 23% NaOH adversely affected recovery behavior of all BDO-treated cottons. Nevertheless, wrinkle and tensile recoveries of postmercerized NH3(I) and CM cottons were equivalent. Postmercerization partially restored fabric properties of BDO cottons with cellulose I lattice to those of their respective controls; no change was noted for corresponding products from CM cottons. Because of this, final properties of products from NH3(I) cottons equaled and even exceeded those of comparable CM cottons.