GB1030317A - Improvements in the treatment of acrylic fibre fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

The formation of pills on the surface of fabrics made from acrylic fibres is prevented by treating the fabrics with an emulsion or an aqueous solution of an antistatic agent which is a water insoluble synthetic resin containing epoxide groups prepared by reacting a water insoluble polyamine containing polyalkylene oxide residues having more than one reactive hydrogen atom attached to nitrogen with a bifunctional compound which contains one or more epoxide and/or alpha-halobeta hydroxy alkyl groups in the molecule, an anionic surface active agent composed of alkyl aryl sulphonates and/or an acid and an anionic softener composed of fatty alcohol sulphates and their drying and heating. The treating composition may contain 0.5-25% of the antistatic agent and 0.25-12.5% of the surface active agent based on the weight of the fabric. When the treating composition contains an acid this may be acetic acid in an amount which maintains the pH of the composition at 4.8-5.0 and the composition may be heated to 37 DEG C. before the fabric is placed therein and the temperature then maintained at 54 DEG -96 DEG C. for 10-30 minutes at the end of which time sodium carbonate or other alkaline reacting agent may be added to change the pH value to 8.0 or above and the fabric maintained in the composition at 85 DEG C. for an additional 15-30 minutes, rinsed, treated for 5-30 minutes at 37 DEG -54 DEG C. with a mixture of cationic and anionic softeners and dried at 80 DEG -150 DEG C. Alternatively the composition may be applied by padding or spraying. When an acid is not used sodium bicarbonate or carbonate may be present at the start of the treatment. The fabrics treated may be made from fibres composed of polyacrylonitrile, copolymers containing at least 85% by weight of acrylonitrile or blends of polyacrylonitrile or a copolymer thereof with 2-50% by weight of another polymeric material, the blend having an overall polymerized acrylonitrile content of at least 80% by weight. Suitable monomers which may be copolymerized with acrylonitrile are acrylic, a -chloroacrylic and methacrylic acids, acrylates, methacrylates and a -chloroacrylates, vinyl chloride, fluoride or bromide, vinylidene chloride, 1-chloro-1-bromo ethylene, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide, a -chloroacrylamide, methacrylamide methel vinyl ketone, vinyl carboxylates, N-vinyl imides, methylene malonic esters, itaconic acid and esters thereof, N-vinyl carbazole, vinyl furane, alkyl vinyl esters, vinyl sulphonic acid, ethylene a ,b dicarboxylic acids and derivatives thereof, styrene, vinyl naphthalene, vinyl pyridines and 1-vinyl imidazoles.