Comparison of Textile Mechanical Properties of Cotton in Crosslinking with Dimethylolethyleneurea and Formaldehyde

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Abstract
Cotton fabrics were crosslinked with dimethylolethyleneurea (DMEU) and with formaldehyde by the pad-dry-cure process. The following parameters were varied: concentration of catalyst (MgCl2) and crosslinking agent, reaction time, and temperature. The crosslinked fabrics were characterized by dry and wet crease-recovery angles, tensile strength, and degree of polymerization. The results show that with DMEU a significantly better dry crease-recovery angle/tensile strength relation is obtainable. This difference is due entirely to a greater degradation of cellulose by hydrolysis in treatments with formaldehyde. Furthermore, in the case of DMEU the effect/strength loss relation can be improved by using very high resin concentrations in the padding liquor.