This paper reports the catalytic effect of grafted acids, in crosslinking reactions, as substitutes for conventional inor ganic ones.
Unsaturated mono- and/or di-carboxylic acids were radiation-grafted on cotton cellulose during crosslinking using multifunctional monomers. In a delayed heat cure, the grafted acids catalyzed the condensation of available cellulose hydroxyls with the methylol groups of grafted polymethylol acrylamide. This further crosslinking resulted in an addi tional improvement in wrinkle resistance with negligible loss in tensile strength. The catalytic effect of used acids was studied singly or/and combined.
