Preparation of multiple-reactive-site and flexible crosslinking agent with transaconitic acid and acrylic acid and its application for three-dimensional crosslinking of cellulose

Abstract

A novel multiple-reactive-site crosslinking agent, P(TAA‒AA), was developed from transaconitic acid and acrylic acid in this study. Cotton fabrics with durable wrinkle-resistant properties were obtained by crosslinking with P(TAA‒AA), which benefited from the multifunctional carboxyl groups of crosslinking agents and the three-dimensional crosslinking inside cotton fibers. The wrinkle-resistant properties of P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics were evaluated and compared with those of other polycarboxylic acid-treated fabrics, and the P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics showed a wrinkle recovery angle of 262° as high as the 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid-modified fabrics while maintaining nearly two-fold higher tearing strength retention (62.9%), and they showed a much higher value of whiteness index than the citric acid-modified fabrics. This demonstrated that the obtained P(TAA‒AA) is an ideal polycarboxylic acid already known to date simultaneously to realize the high wrinkle recovery angle and high tearing strength retention for treated cotton fabrics. The Raman depth mapping images and the scanning electron microscope images of P(TAA‒AA)-modified samples indicated that P(TAA‒AA) molecules can diffuse into the amorphous regions of the cellulose fibers and form crosslinking bridges between cellulose chains. The multiple reactive carboxyl groups in P(TAA‒AA) may form three or more ester bonds between the P(TAA‒AA) molecule and different cellulose chains, which were regarded as the main contribution to the high crosslinking effectiveness of the P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics.