GB1313978A - Treatment of cellulose fibre-containing materials - Google Patents

Abstract

1313978 Treating cellulosic materials COT. TON INC 19 April 1971 [27 April 1970] 23496/71 Heading D1P The wrinkle resistance, crease retention and smooth drying characteristics of cellulose fibrecontaining material are improved by (a) moistening the material with an aqueous solution containing a water soluble polymerisable compound possessing reactive methylol or etherified methylol groups (b) exposing the moistened material (moisture content between 15 and 90%), at a temperature of at least 80‹C, to a gaseous acid and formaldehyde vapour, either sequentially or together, so that the polymerisable substance is fixed in the material, (c) applying to the material a solid latent curing catalyst, either in the aqueous solution of step (a), or in a separate aqueous solution subsequent to step (b) and before step (d), and (d) drying the material. The material may be cured at between 120 and 180‹C before or after being made up into a garment. The polymerisable compound may be a hardenable melamine or alkylated melamine-formaldehyde precondensate, a urea-formaldehyde precondensate or a phenol or resorcinol-formaldehyde precondensate. The gaseous acid may be sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride or acetic or formic acid. The solid latent curing catalyst may be zinc nitrate, magnesium, zinc, or ammonium chloride, ammonium salts of hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric, oxalic or lactic acid, amine hydrochlorides, or mixtures such as MgCl 2 /ZnCl 2 , MgCl 2 /citric acid or Zn(NO 3 ) 2 / citric acid. The substrate materials may include cotton, linen, hemp, and viscose or cuprammonium rayon, and blends of these with cellulose acetate, polyamides, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride or polyvinyl alcohol fibres, and may be in the form of fabric, fibres or yarns. The treatment solution may be applied by padding or spraying, and may include softening additives such as polyethylene, alkyl acrylate polymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers, deacetylated ethylenevinyl acetate copolymers and polyurethanes. Further additives include water and stain repellants, and antimicrobial, flameproofing wetting and soil release agents. After application of the aqueous solution, the material may be passed into a series of chambers, or a single chamber having a number of inlet manifolds for treatment with the gaseous components, and through which the fabric is passed on transport rollers arranged the shape of an inverted "V". The reactive vapour phase may include inert components e.g. helium, air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Steam or infrared radiation may be used to maintain the reaction temperature between 100 and 170‹C. Drying may be effected at between 120‹ and 180‹C. Durable press articles may be made by "pre" or "post" curing the treated substrates.