GB1116927A - Finishing cellulosic fibrous materials - Google Patents

Abstract

Cellulosic fibrous materials are finished by impregnating them with an aqueous solution or dispersion containing as crosslinking agent at least one monomeric compound containing at least two groups having the formula -CH2OR, in which R is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical containing 1-4 carbon atoms, attached to the nitrogen atom of a carbamide group and a water soluble catalyst comprising a mixture of (a) at least one acid having a dissociation constant of at least 10-4 which is not volatile at temperatures up to 130 DEG C and (b) at least one potentially acid salt, the ratio by weight of (a) to (b) being from 1:10 to 5:1, drying them to a moisture content of 10-35% by weight with reference to the weight of the amorphous regions contained in the cellulose and reacting the crosslinking agent with the cellulose at a temperature of up to 50 DEG C. The crosslinking agent may have the formula: <FORM:1116927/D1-D2/1> or <FORM:1116927/D1-D2/2> in which Z is zero or 1, R1, R2, R10 and R\yF are hydrogen atoms or low molecular weight alkyl groups, R3 and R4 are radicals having the formula <FORM:1116927/D1-D2/3> which are connected with each other directly or via radicals <FORM:1116927/D1-D2/4> , or when R1 and R2 are low molecular weight alkyl radicals, may be hydrogen atoms, low molecular weight alkyl groups or low molecular weight alkoxymethyl groups, R5 and R7 are hydrogen atoms, R6 and R8 are hydrogen atoms, hydroxyl groups, low molecular weight alkyl groups or low molecular weight alkoxy groups, R9 is a hydrogen atom or a low molecular weight alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group, R12 and R13 are hydrogen atoms, hydroxymethyl groups or low molecular weight alkoxymethyl groups and A is a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 2-8 carbon atoms, the low molecular weight alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyl and alkoxymethyl groups containing 1-4 carbon atoms. The acid (a) may be sulphuric, phosphoric, oxalic, glycolic, maleic, monochloroacetic, trichloroacetic, tartaric or citric acid and the potentially acid salt (b) may be ammonium chloride, sulphate, phosphate or nitrate, dimonoethanolamine hydrogen phosphate, ethanolamine hydrochloride, 2-methyl-2-amino-propanol hydrochloride, magnesium chloride, aluminium chloride, zinc chloride or zinc nitrate. The treating composition may also contain optical brighteners, wetting agents, e.g. salts of alkyl naphthalenesulphonic acids, alkali metal salts of sulphonated dioctyl succinate and adducts of alkylene oxides and fatty-alcohols, alkylphenols or fatty amines, water repellents, e.g. paraffin wax emulsions containing aluminium or zirconium, silicones and perfluorinated aliphatic compounds, plasticizers, e.g. ethenoxylation products of high molecular weight fatty acids, fatty-alcohols or fatty-acid amides, high molecular weight polyglycol ethers and their esters, high molecular weight fatty-acids, fatty-alcohol sulphonates, stearyl-N, N-ethylene-urea and stearylamido-methylpyridinium chloride and compounds which improve the abrasion resistance of the materials treated, e.g. cellulose ethers and esters, alginates, polyethylene, polyamides, ethenoxylated polyamides, polyvinyl-ethers, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid or polymethacrylic acid and the esters and amides thereof, polyvinyl propionate, polyvinyl-pyrrolidone and copolymers of vinyl chloride and acrylic esters, butadiene and styrene or acrylonitrile, a -dichloroethylene, b -chloro alkylacrylic esters or vinyl ethyl ether and acrylamide, or the amides of crotonic acid or maleic acid or from N-methylol acrylamide or methacrylamide and other polymerizable compounds. After drying the treated material may be covered with a moisture-impermeable sheet e.g. polyethylene or stored in a chamber whose atmosphere has an appropriate moisture content and left until the reaction is complete, and then washed and dried. Fibres, flock, slivers and woven, non-woven, knitted or net fabrics comprising cotton, linen or viscose rayon fibres alone or in admixture with wool, silk, cellulose ester, polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, polyacrylonitrile or vinyl chloride polymer fibres, may be treated.