Synthesis of zwitterionic polymer and its application in textile stiffening finish

Abstract

Development of formaldehyde‐free stiffening finish agents is highly desirable in modern environmental‐friendly textile chemical processing technologies. Herein, two zwitterionic monomers are synthesized and used to synthesize a series of acrylate soap‐free emulsions. The prepared acrylate soap‐free emulsion was analyzed by nanoparticle size analyzer to determine grain size and PDI. The properties of polymer film obtained from emulsion were characterized by IR, DSC, and DMA. The results showed that zwitterionic monomer in acrylate emulsion can greatly improve the glass transition temperature (Tg) and initial tensile modulus of polymer film, and that ambient temperature had little effect on initial tensile modulus. It was found that when the amount of zwitterionic monomer is 3% of the total monomer dosage, the synthesized polymer emulsion can achieve the same stiffening effect as that of commercial stiffening agents. Meanwhile, the stiffness of finished fabric is less affected by the change in ambient temperature. The effective Tg increase and high initial tensile modulus of these zwitterionic polymers demonstrate their applicability in stiffening finish for seat belts.