ARS | Publication request: AN ULTRAVIOLET GRAFTING TECHNIQUE FOR COTTON FABRIC FINISHES

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings/Symposium
Publication Acceptance Date: February 1, 2004
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Citation: White, L.A. 2004. An ultraviolet grafting technique for cotton fabric finishes. Proceedings of National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference [CD-ROM].

Technical Abstract: Graft polymerization of the finishing polymers onto the cotton substrate could be one more very promising route by which this problem is overcome. One method of grafting polymer chains onto a substrate is by ultraviolet radiation in combination with a photosensitizer. Photolytic grafting is limited by the depth of UV penetration into the substrate and will ideally result in the polymer chains of the finish being on the surface of the textile. Print cloth was photosensitized with sodium metaperiodate to allow the formation of radical site on the cellulose chains. Carboxyl and carbonyl groups introduced by oxidation of the cloth become active sites on the cellulose that can be used in subsequent grafting reactions. Photosensitized print cloth was grafted with poly (methyl methacrylate) as the finishing polymer. The grafting onto the textile surface has been confirmed by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Standard strength tests on the print cloth indicate that a moderate loss in tear strength (12%) results from the loss of molecular weight due to the photosensitizing treatment, but this loss in strength is overcome by the grafting/finishing reaction due to entanglement of the polymer chains on the surface of the cloth.