Effects of Polycarboxylic acids on Untreated Cotton and Solubilised Sulphur Dyed Cotton

A number of polycarboxylic acids butane tetracarboxylic acid BTCA, polyacrylic-co-maleic acid PAMA, citric acid, maleic-itaconic MA-IA were examined, in combination with sodium hypophosphite SHP in order to give a similar high fabric crease recovery performance and whiteness index to traditional formaldehyde based crease agents. BTCA showed to be the best crease resist agent for crosslinking cotton fabric with SHP. In addition BTCA treatment offers higher tear/ tensile strength compared to fabrics treated with dimethylol dihydroxyethylene urea DMDHEU. FTIR/FT-RAMAN spectroscopies showed the presence intermolecular ester crosslinks in cotton fabrics treated with BTCA. Treatment of Jarosol solubilised sulphur dyed cotton fabrics with PAMA/BTCA and SHP resulted in a colour change of dyed fabrics because of the reductive nature SHP. Jarosol sulphur dyed cotton fabric treated BTCA/PAMA improved washfastness due to locking dye inside the fibres but light fastness didn’t change.