Silicone Chemistry for Fabric Care

Silicone softeners have a firm place in final finishing for a very important reason. A piece of fabric which has been subjected to pretreatment ,dyeing and fixing processes is almost impossible to be appealing to any one without taking a corrective measures of handle. The Application of silicone softeners turns hard and a brittle fabric into a soft pleasant textile with which the buyer can expect a high degree of wearing comfort. Silicone have wide spread applications in the textile industry from fiber, yarn and fabric production to final product finishing.Thier distinctive chemistry imparts a range of characteristics. A variety of silicone technologies have application in the textile industry. They include, • Polydimethylsiloxanes. • Amido, Amino Functional Silicones. • Methyl Hydrogen Silicones. • Epoxy Functional Silicones. • Hydroxy functional Silicones. • Silicone Polyethers. • Epoxy Polyether Silicones. INTODUCTION: Silicones are the most versatile polymer known. This chemical adds value to the fabric by transforming the fabric handle to the match the customer perception. Silicones are the organo metallic polymers derived from the abundant raw material on earth, sand. Silicone is a generic term that refers to a class of man made polymers based on a frame work of alternating silicon and oxygen (Siloxane Bonds) with organic subtituents attached to the silicon.Methl groups are the most important organic substituents used in the commercial silicones. The Vast majority of which are Poly dimethyl Siloxanes.Because of their Inorganic – Organic structure and the flexibility of the silicone bonds, silicones have some unique properties including thermal oxidative stability , low temperature flow ability , low viscosity change vs. temperature , high compressibility , low surface tension , hydrophobicity,good electric properties and low fire hazard. A feature shared by many silicone materials is effectiveness at very low concentartions.Very small amounts are required to achieve the desired properties, which can improve the cost of textile operations and ensure a minimum environmental impact.