Evaluating Ester Crosslinking of Cotton Fabric by a Polycarboxylic Acid Using Acid-Base Titration

Abstract

Polycarboxylic acids such as 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) have been the most promising nonformaldehyde durable press finishing agents to replace the traditional N-methylol reagents. High levels of smooth fabric appearance are the direct result of ester crosslinking of cotton cellulose by a polycarboxylic acid, and appearance is therefore determined by the amount of ester crosslinks formed on the fabric. In this research, we use acid-base titration to evaluate ester crosslinking by measuring the concentrations of the ester and the free carboxylic acid and the percent of carboxyl groups forming crosslinks on the cotton treated with BTCA. We correlate the wrinkle resistance of the treated cotton with the ester concentration on the fabric. The linear correlation between wrinkle-recovery angle and ester concentration indicates that ester concentration determined by titration can be used as the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of crosslinking for durable press finished cottons.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Caulifield, D.F. , Ester Crosslinking to Improve Wet Performance of Paper Using Multifunctional Carboxylic Acids, Butanetetracarboxylic Acid and Citric Acid, TAPPI J. 77(3), 205-212 (1994).

Dean, J.A. , "Lang's Handbook of Chemistry," 13th ed., McGrawHill, NY, 1985, pp. 5-26.

Horie, D. , and Biermann, C.J. , Applications of Durable Press Treatment to Bleached Softwood Kraft Handsheets , TAPPI J. 77(8), 135-140 (1994).

Laemmermann, D. , New Possibilities for Non-Formaldehyde Finishing of Cellulosic Fibers, Melliand Textilber . 3, 274-279 ( 1992).

Petersen, H.A. , Crosslinking with Formaldehyde-Containing Reactants, in "Chemical Processing of Fibers and Fabrics : Functional Finishes, Part A," M. Lewin, and S. B. Sello, Eds., Mercel Dekker, NY, 1983, pp. 47-327.

Wei, W. , Yang, C.Q. , and Jiang, Y. , Nonformaldehyde Durable Press Garment Finishing of Cotton Slacks , Textile Chem. Color. 31(1), 34-38 (1999).

Wei, W. , and Yang, C.Q. , Predicting the Performance of Durable Press Finished Cotton Fabric Using Infrared Spectroscopy, Textile Res. J. 69, 145-151 (1999).

Welch, C.M. , Formaldehyde-Free Durable Press Finishes, Rev. Prog. Color. 22, 32-41 (1992).

Welch, C.M. , Tetracarboxylic Acids as Formaldehyde-Free Durable Press Finishing Agents , Textile Res. J. 58 , 480-486 (1988).

10.

Welch, C.M. , and Andrews, B.A.K. , Catalysts and Processes for Formaldehyde Free Durable Press Finishing of Cotton Textiles with Polycarboxylic Acids , U.S. patent 4,820,307, April 11, 1989 .

11.

Xu, Y. , Chen, C. , and Yang, C.Q. , Applications of Polymeric Carboxylic Acids for Improving Paper Wet Performance , TAPPI J. 81(11), 159-164 (1998).

12.

Yang, C.Q. , and Andrews, B.A.K. , Infrared Spectroscopy Studies of the Nonformaldehyde Durable Press Finishing of Cotton Fabrics by Use of Polycarboxylic Acids, J. Appl. Polym, Sci. 43, 1609-1616 (1991 ).

13.

Yang, C.Q. , Characterizing Ester Crosslinkages in Cotton Cellulose with FT-IR Photoacoustic Spectroscopy, Textile Res. J. 61, 298-305 (1991).

14.

Yang, C.Q. , and Wang, X. , Formation of the Cyclic Anhydride Intermediates and Esterification of Cotton Cellulose by Multifunctional Carboxylic Acids: An Infrared Spectroscopy Study , Textile Res. J. 66 , 595-603 (1996).

15.

Yang, C.Q. , Xu, Y. , and Wang, D. , FT-IR Spectroscopy Study of the Polycarboxylic Acids Used for Paper Wet Strength Improvement, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 35, 4037-4042 (1996).

16.

Yang, C.Q. , and Bakshi, G. , Quantitative Analysis of the Nonformaldehyde Durable Press Finish on Cotton Fabric: Acid-Base Titration and Infrared Spectroscopy, Textile Res. J. 66 , 377-384 (1996).

17.

Yang, C.Q. , Xu, L. , Li, S. , and Jiang, Y. , Nonformaldehyde Durable Press Finishing of Cotton Fabrics by Combining Polymers of Maleic Acid with Citric Acid, Textile Res. J. 68, 457-464 (1998).

18.

Yang, C.Q. , and Xu, Y. , Paper Wet Performance and Ester Crosslinking of Wood Pulp Cellulose by the Polycarboxylic Acids J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 67, 649-658 (1998)

19.

Zhou, Y.J. , Luner, P. , Caluwe, P.C. , and Tekin, B. , Wet Reinforcing of Paper and Board by Novel Crosslinking Chemicals , Prod. Papermaking 2, 1045-1072 (1993 ).