Easy Care/Wrinkle-free/

Durable Press Finishes

Dr Saira Faisal
Assistant Professor
Textile Engineering Department
NED UET
Cellulose
• Cotton cellulose is highly crystalline
and oriented. a-cellulose is distinct in
its long and rigid molecular structure.
• Each anhydroglucose contains three
hydroxyl groups, one primary on C-6

Dr Saira Faisal
and two secondary on C-2 and C-3.
• The abundant hydroxyl groups and the
chain conformation allow extensive
inter-molecular and intra-molecular
hydrogen bonding to further enhance
the rigidity of the cellulose structure.

2
 Dr Saira Faisal
3
Easy Care, Durable Press and Wrinkle Resistant Cotton

• Cotton fibers are the most important fibers in the apparel industry, since they can readily
absorb moisture and cotton-made clothes are the most comfortable garments.
• Despite the numerous advantages, there are also some disadvantages, such as easy wrinkling
of fabric in practical applications.
• Crushing during use and care (such as washing) cause wrinkles.

Dr Saira Faisal
• Water absorption during washing leads to the movement of the molecular chains of
cellulose in amorphous and intermediate (non-crystalline) regions. The new
arrangement of the cellulose molecules is fixed by the hydrogen bonds between the
adjacent hydrogen groups.
• As a result, inhibiting the movement of cellulose chains is the appropriate way to
overcome the problem.
• This goal is obtainable by crosslinking of the cellulose chains with resins/polymers.
4
 Dr Saira Faisal
5
Easy Care Properties
• The primary effects of the easy-care and durable press finish on cellulosic
fibres are;
• reduction in swelling and shrinkage,
• improved wet and dry wrinkle recovery,

Dr Saira Faisal
• smoothness of appearance after drying, and
• retention of intentional creases and pleats.
• The total crease recovery angle (CRA), that is the sum of the crease recovery
angles of the warp and the weft directions of the fabric, increases from about
150° to about 300°.
• A fabric shrinkage of less than 5% can usually be achieved.
• The treatment of cellulose to improve crease recovery, provide high durable press
ratings, and reduce shrinkage is based on crosslinking of the hydroxyl groups of 6
cellulose molecules through the finishing agent.
Effect of easy care finishing on fabric properties
• Unavoidable side effect of the cellulosic crosslinking finishes is a reduction in the
extensibility of the fibre, which is responsible for its strength, will be diminished to a
greater or lesser degree.
• The fibres become more brittle with a consequent loss of abrasion resistance, tensile
strength and tear strength.

Dr Saira Faisal
• The improvement in easy-care properties and the decrease in the strength values are
always interrelated.
• A rule of thumb states that an increase in the wrinkle recovery angle of 10°
corresponds to a loss in abrasion and tear strength of about 7 %.
• The main difficulty in resin finishing is to keep these losses within tolerable limits to
impart good easy care properties.
7
Easy Care, Durable Press and Wrinkle Resistant
• The goal of being “wrinkle resistant” is obtainable by crosslinking of the
cellulose chains with resins/polymers.
• Cross linking agents form covalent bond on reaction with OH groups of
cellulosic materials in acidic medium at a pH of 3-4.

Dr Saira Faisal
• The aldehydes, formaldehydes, and glyoxals, react with the OH groups of
two cellulose chains.
• The finishing agents penetrate into the fibre but do not enter the crystalline
region of the cellulose.
• The cross linking reaction takes place in amorphouse region of cellulose.
• These Cross-linkers produces resiliency in the fiber to give the needed
dimensional stabilization, wrinkle resistance, and crease retention for modern 8
durable-press cellulosic fabrics.
Cross linkers
• The crosslinkers used are also known as easy care
or durable press (DP) finishing agents, which are
divided into two main groups:

Dr Saira Faisal
• formaldehyde-based chemicals
• formaldehyde-free compounds

9
Cross-linking

• Cross-linking refers to the joining of polymer chains with covalent

bonds. Cross-linking can occur during polymer synthesis or later
with the addition of atoms or molecules which will share electrons
with a part of the polymer chain.

Dr Saira Faisal
10
Formaldehyde Release
• The biggest problem with crease recovery or wrinkle-free treatment is the
release of formaldehyde during the application of a finish and the use of
finished textile materials.
• With the development of newer crease recovery finishes, the problem has

Dr Saira Faisal
reduced considerably, but products with low or no formaldehyde release are
not commercially viable due to their high cost and lower efficiency.

11
Formaldehyde Release
• According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde is
normally present at low levels (less than 0.03 ppm) in both indoor and outdoor
air.
• Materials containing formaldehyde can release it as a gas or vapour into the

Dr Saira Faisal
air.
• It is a health hazard, irritating the eyes and respiratory tract.
• It may also trigger skin allergies in susceptible individuals.
• To date, there is no evidence to suggest that formaldehyde has caused cancer
in humans.

12
Formaldehyde Release
• The restrictions are placed on the concentration of formaldehyde in fabrics for certain
end uses, particularly the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 (OEKO-TEX, 2016).
• This standard is a European-wide labelling scheme intended to offer consumers assurances that
the textiles around them contain no substances harmful to health.
• The current standards for maximum fabric concentrations of formaldehyde for Oeko-

Dr Saira Faisal
Tex Standard 100 are measured according to Japanese Law 112 in ppm and are as
follows:
• (1) For furnishing fabrics (goods with no direct contact with skin)—300 ppm (mg/kg)
• (2) For adult clothing and other items that come in direct contact with skin—75 ppm
(mg/kg)
• (3) For children’s items—20ppm (mg/kg)

13
Formaldehyde Release Mechanism
• During the finishing process the N-methylol
compounds can react with;
1. hydroxyl groups of cellulose
• (which is the most preferable reaction)
2. they may also react with themselves or

Dr Saira Faisal
3. with reactive NH groups
• These latter two reactions are not
desirable, because some reaction places
on crosslinking reagents are lost, and the
formaldehyde can be simply released
from the N-methylol compounds.
• Splitting of bonds is catalytically
accelerated by acids, and by the basis as
well.
14
Formaldehyde Release Mechanism

• Free formaldehyde
• Is defined as the uncombined monomeric formaldehyde that exist in finish bath.
• Source:
• Stoichiometric excesses of formaldehyde in resin manufacturing (to drive the reaction fast)
• Uncured Resin

Dr Saira Faisal
• Uncured resins or pendent N-methylol groups.
• Source:
• It is difficult to cure 100% resin.

15
Cellulose cross-linkers
• Cellulose cross-linkers can be classified into two categories:
1. Aminoplast, which self-polymerise as well as cross-link with cellulose. The term is
still used occasionally for urea-formaldehyde and melamine-formaldehyde
compounds.

Dr Saira Faisal
2. Cellulose reactants, those predominantly cross-link with cellulose, are also known
as cellulose reactants such as dimethylolethylene urea (DMEU), DMDHEU, etc.

• Formaldehyde is capable of reacting with many active hydrogen compounds such

as OH, NH and activated CH.

16
Aminoplasts
• By the end of the 1920s, formaldehyde condensation products were introduced for the
durable press finishing of fabrics made of viscose, linen or cotton.
• Urea-formaldehyde products were first introduced followed by melamine-
formaldehyde compounds.
• These condensates are capable of self-cross-linking to form resinous, three-

Dr Saira Faisal
dimensional polymers as well as cross-linking cellulose.

17
1. Urea/Formaldehyde (U/F) - Dimethylol Urea (DMU)
• When 2 moles of HCHO
(Formaldehyde) is reacted with one
mole of urea, dimethylol urea is
formed.
• Being bifunctional, it is capable of
serving as a crosslinking agent.

Dr Saira Faisal
• Urea-formaldehyde was prepared by
reaction of urea and formaldehyde in
aqueous solution. The resulting N, N’
-dimethylol urea reacted with
methanol to form a more stable
dimethoxymethyl urea
• This product was highly reactive, has
a low stability to hydrolysis and a
high content of formaldehyde
18
Important Features -DMU
• The condensate has an extremely short shelf life.
• It must be used within a few days after its been made.
• When formulated with catalyst, the finish bath must be used within a few
hours.

Dr Saira Faisal
• The solution has high free formaldehyde and will readily liberate
formaldehyde into the work place.
• It is easy to cure on fabrics and imparts outstanding crease recovery.
• Fabric hand becomes stiffer which is usually undesirable for many cotton
fabrics.
• Most rayon fabrics are very limpy compared to cotton so the added firmness is
desirable. 19
Important Features -DMU
• Finished fabrics have poor durability to repeated laundry.
• Crease recovery is lost because the crosslinks have poor stability to hydrolysis.
• The finish adversely affect the light fastness of direct and reactive dyes.
• The finish reacts with hypochlorite bleaches to form a reaction product which

Dr Saira Faisal
decomposes with heat to form HCl.
• Acid degradation of the cellulose scorches the fabric and causes it to become
very much weaker (tender).
• Finished fabric is prone to liberate formaldehyde odor.
• Formaldehyde release is high (approx. 2000 ppm)
• Overcured fabrics also develop an unpleasant fish odor.
20
Melamine/Formaldehyde
• Melamine can react with up to 6 moles of formaldehyde to form a variety of products.
• Commercially, trimethylol and hexamethylol melamine are the more important
condensates.
• In storage, the N-methylol groups tend to polymerize and liberate formaldehyde.

Dr Saira Faisal
21
Melamine/Formaldehyde – TMM & HMM
Step 1 Step 2

Dr Saira Faisal
22
Important Features (TMM, HMM)

• The tri- products produce firmer hands than the hexa derivatives and are
extensively used as hand builders for fabrics other than cotton (Acrylic, nylon,
polyester).
• Durability to repeated laundering is much better than U/F. This feature is a

Dr Saira Faisal
plus for permanent hand builders.
• Chlorine bleaches cause the fabrics to yellow; however, the reaction product
does not decompose with heat to liberate HCl and tender the fabric.
• They are used in combination with phosphorus flame retardants as a source of
nitrogen. Nitrogen synergism enhances phosphorus flame retardants and
melamine is an excellent source of nitrogen.
• They are used as finishes for reducing wool shrinkage. 23
Cross linking of cellulose with melamine based aminoplasts

Dr Saira Faisal
24