Softening finishes

Xiaoli zhang

3.1 Introduction

With chemical softeners, textiles can achieve an agreeable, soft hand(supple, pliant, sleek and fluffy), some smoothness, more flexibility and better drape and pliability.

3.2 Mechanisms of the softening effect

Softeners provide their main effects on the surface of the fibres The physical arrangement of the usual softener molecules on the fibre surface is important It depends on the ionic nature of the softener molecule and the relative hydrophobicity of the fibre surface.

3.3 Product types and their chemistry

The softener molecules typically contain a long alkyl group, sometimes branched, of more than 16 and up to 22 carbon atoms, but most have 18 corresponding to the stearyl residue. Exceptions to this molecular structure are the special categories of silicones, paraffins and polyethylene softeners. About one-third of the softeners used in the textile industry are silicone based.

3.4.1 Cationic softeners

Cationic softeners have the best softness and are reasonably durable to laundering; provide a hydrophobic surface and poor rewetting properties; usually not compatible with anionic products; Cationic softeners attract soil, may cause yellowing upon exposure to high temperatures and may adversely affect the lightfastness of direct and reactive dyes. Inherent ecological disadvantages of many conventional (unmodified) quaternary ammonium compounds (quaternaries) are fish toxicity and poor biodegradability.

3.4.2 Anionic softeners

heat stable at normal textile processing temperatures; compatible with other components of dye and bleach baths; easily be washed off; provide strong antistatic effects and good rewetting properties;

3.4.3 Amphoteric softeners

good softening effects; low permanence to washing ; high antistatic effects (because of their strong ionic character); have fewer ecological problems than similar cationic products; Examples of the betaine and the amine oxide type

3.4.4 Non-ionic softeners based on paraffin and polyethylene

high lubricity (reduced surface friction) ; not durable to dry cleaning; stable to extreme pH conditions and heat at normal textile processing conditions; and are reasonably priced and compatible with most textile chemicals.

3.4.5 Silicone softeners

very high softness, special unique hand, high lubricity, good sewability, elastic resilience, crease recovery, abrasion resistance and tear strength. show good temperature stability and durability, with a high degree of permanence for those products that form crosslinked films and a range of properties from hydrophobic to hydrophilic.

3.7 Evaluation and testing methods

Important components of the sensory perception are the smoothness, compressibility and elasticity of the textile sample. As the hand of fabrics is primarily a subjective feeling similar to the impression of colour there have been many efforts to find methods for objective evaluation of the fabric hand.

Relatively simple methods to evaluate only the bending properties of fabric (flex rigidity) are the cantilever method and a similar device called Softometer.

Handle-O-Meter

The Handle-O-Meter is another method in which different kinds of deformation have a simultaneous effect on the sample, resulting in a total value for the hand.

KES-F

The most comprehensive but most expensive method of objective hand evaluation was developed by Kawabata and co-workers2123 and is called KESF(Kawabata Evaluation System-Fabrics).

FAST

FAST (Fabric Assurance by Simple Testing) is another well known system.It was developed for quality assessment in the wool garment industry. FAST is less expensive and much quicker than the KES-F because it measures only some aspects of the fabric hand such as compression, bending, extension and dimensional stability at a few given points in a simplified form.

3.8 Particulars of and troubleshooting for softening finishes

Emulsion stability Softeners and thermomigration of dyes Reactive softeners Volatility Yellowing Deeper colour, darker black Mechanical softening