GB1095702A - Treatment of textile materials - Google Patents

Abstract

Textile materials made from synthetic linear polyamides are rendered antistatic and given improved moisture absorption properties and a reduced tendency to soil by treating them with a polyalkyleneoxy compound and an antioxidant and then heating. The polyalkyleneoxy compound may be a polyalkylene glycol or a compound obtained by reacting a compound containing one or more reactive hydrogen atoms, e.g. water and organic acids, amides, amines, alcohols and mercaptans including polyamides, polyamines and polyols, with an alkylene oxide or mixture of alkylene oxides numerous examples of suitable polyalkyleneoxy compounds being given. Suitable anti-oxidants are polyhydric phenols such as pyrogallol and esters of gallic acid, substituted monohydric phenols, e.g. 2-(a -methylcyclohexyl)-4, 6-dimethyl phenol, 2, 6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol, 4-benzyl-2, 6-dihydroxymethyl phenol, 2, 6-bis-hydroxymethyl-4-methylphenol, and 2, 6-di-t-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, bisphenols, e.g. bis-(2-hydroxy-3-(a -methyl cyclohexyl)-5-methylphenyl)-methane, 1,1-bis-(2 - hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-1-m-octylmethane and bis-(3-t-butyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenylmethane, sulphides, e.g. dilaurylthiodipropionate, dioctylsulphide, bis-(5-t-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl phenyl) sulphide and the magnesium, calcium and barium salts of thiodipropionic acid, dithiocarbamates, e.g. sodium diethyldithio carbamate, zinc diethyldithio carbamate, zinc dinonyldithio carbamate, 2, 6-bis-(piperidino thiocarbonylthiomethyl)-4-methylphenol and 2, 6-di-t-butyl-4-diethylthiocarbamoyl thiomethylphenol and dialkyldithiophosphates, e.g. zinc diononyldithiophosphate and zinc, magnesium and barium diisopropyldithio phosphates. The polyalkylenoxy compound and the antioxidant may be applied to the textile materials from the same or different aqueous medium at temperatures up to 50 DEG C and the treated materials then dried and heated. The textile materials may also be treated with a cross-linking agent or resin precondensate which under the conditions of heating, if desired in the presence of a catalyst, e.g. oxalic acid, zinc or magnesium chloride or ammonium sulphate, chloride or thiocyanate, will react with the polyalkyleneoxy compound and possibly also the polyamide to effect insolubilisation of the polyalkyleneoxy compound on the polyamide material. Suitable cross-linking agents are formaldehyde, acrolein, glyoxal, cyanuric halides and dihalogenotriazine derivatives and suitable resin precondensates are those of formaldehyde with urea, thiourea, dicyandiamide, amides, amines, carbamates, aminotriazines, urons, ureins, ureides, imidazolidones, pyridones and triazones and alkyl ethers thereof, methylol derivatives of urea/formaldehyde polycondensates and polyacrylamides, and acetal condensation products of aldehydes with alcohols. The treating composition may also contain a hydroxyalkyl ether of cellulose. Heating may be effected at 70 DEG -220 DEG C for from 10 seconds to 30 minutes. The treatment may be carried out in conjunction with other chemical or mechanical finishing operations such as those used to confer resistance to shrinkage and creasing, modification of handle or surface lustre, water repellency and optical brightness.