Abstract
Treatment with dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) reduces shrinkage in 70 30 and 50 50 wool cotton blend fabrics (a 74% reduction occurs in the latter), but an ozone pretreatment is necessary to confer an accetal le degree of shrink resistance to these fabrics. Ozone treatment of 100% cotton does not affect its laundering shrinkage, and the shrinkage resistance imparted to this fabric by DMDHEU is not altered by ozone pre or post treatment. Ozone treatment alone improves the durable-press (DP) properties of all fabrics, but creases are poor and fuzziness is high in all but the 100% cotton fabrics. DP properties are not improved by DMDHEU treatment alone in 100% wool fabric, but they are slightly improved in the 70/30 wool cotton, somewhat improved in the 50 50 wool cotton, and markedly improved with the 100% cotton fabric. With the 70/30 and 50/50 wool cotton fabrics there is marked improvement if the ozone and DMDHEU treatments are combined. Some improvement also occurs with 100% cotton. Ozone in creases the strength of 100% wool fabric and decreases the strength of DMDHEU treated 100% cotton. However, ozone does not significantly alter the strength of 100% cotton. However, ozone does not significantly alter the strength of 100% cotton (except with a long 150 s treatment) or the blend fabrics, whether or not they were treated with DMDHEU. Ozone increases the total reflectance (brightness) of fabrics increasingly with increased cotton content. DMDHEU increases the yellowness of the wool and wool blend fabrics due to HCHO release; the larger the percentage of wool in the blend, the greater the amount'of yellowing. The copper number of ozonated 100% cotton is 1.5, implying fission of some of the glucosidic inkages. Photomicrographs of the surface of ozone treated cotton fibers and Congo Red-stained fiber sections show that ozone reacts primarily at the fiber surface.
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