Effect of glucose crosslinking on thermomechanical properties and shape memory effect of PET‐PEG copolymers

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymers crosslinked with glucose as a crosslinker are prepared to improve their mechanical and shape memory properties compared to the one without crosslinking. Composition of PEG and glucose is varied to search for the one with the best mechanical and shape memory properties. The highest shape recovery rate is found in the copolymer composed of 25 mol % PEG‐200 and 2.0 mol % glucose. The result that crosslinking by glucose improves the shape recovery rate and supports the high shape recovery rate under the repetitive cyclic test conditions, compared to the one without crosslinking, will be discussed in the points of the structure and shape memory mechanism. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

The study of rapid curing crease‐resistant processing on cotton fabrics. II. Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) on physical properties of processed fabrics

This study aimed to examine the effects of the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on the physical properties of processed cotton fabrics in a rapid heat‐curing crease‐resistant process. Our results show that this addition influences the moisture absorbency, crease resistance in both dry and wet conditions, and tensile strength preservation rate of the processed fabrics. Moreover, with such addition, the use of higher temperature in the process would enhance the moisture absorbency and dry–wet crease resistance but reduce the tensile strength preservation rate. The optimum condition for processing cotton fabric is to use PEG with a molecular weight of 1000 at a concentration of 10%, heated at 200°C for 30 s. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1008–1012, 2002     

Physical properties and reaction kinetics of cotton cellulose crosslinked with dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea–maleic acid

Two dicarboxylic acids were used to join with dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) as crosslinking agents to treated cotton fabrics. These results reveal that the dry crease recovery angle values of the treated fabrics for DMDHEU–maleic acid are higher than those for DMDHEU–tartaric acid at a given wet crease recovery angle and tensile strength retention. The IR spectra show that the reaction between the –OH of DMDHEU and cellulose and the vinyl groups of maleic acids occurred. The cross section of the DMDHEU–maleic acid and DMDHEU–tartaric acid treated fibers and the energies of activation and other data of reaction kinetics for DMDHEU–maleic acid and DMDHEU–tartaric acid strongly suggest that the reaction of vinyl groups of maleic acid with cellulose molecules can take place during the pad/dry‐cure process. Additionally, the surface distribution of crosslinking agent on the finished fabrics for DMDHEU–maleic acid is slightly lower than that for DMDHEU–tartaric acid. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3886–3893, 2004     

Durable antimicrobial treatment of cotton fabrics using N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride and polycarboxylic acids

N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), a water‐soluble chitosan quaternary ammonium derivative, was used as an antimicrobial agent for cotton fabrics. HTCC has a lower minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli compared to that of chitosan; however, the imparted antimicrobial activity is lost on laundering. Thus crosslinking agents were utilized to obtain a durable antimicrobial treatment by immobilizing HTCC. Several crosslinkers such as dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU), butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), and citric acid (CA) were used with HTCC to improve the laundering durability of HTCC treatment by covalent bond formation between the crosslinker, HTCC and cellulose. The polycarboxylic acid treatment was superior to the DMDHEU treatment in terms of prolonged antimicrobial activity of the treated cotton after successive laundering. Also, the cotton treated with HTCC and BTCA showed improved durable press properties without excessive deterioration in mechanical strength or whiteness when compared to the citric acid treatment. With the addition of only 0.1% HTCC to BTCA solutions, the treated fabrics showed durable antimicrobial activity up to 20 laundering cycles. The wrinkle recovery angle and strength retention of the treated fabrics were not adversely affected with the addition of HTCC. Therefore, BTCA can be used with HTCC in one bath to impart durability of antimicrobial activity along with durable press properties to cotton fabric. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1567–1572, 2003     

Flame‐retardant finishing in cotton fabrics using zinc oxide co‐catalyst

In this article, N‐Methylol dimethylphosphonopropionamide (FR) in combination with a melamine resin (CL), phosphoric acid (PA) catalyst and zinc oxide (ZnO) or nano‐ZnO co‐catalyst were used (FR‐CL‐PA‐ZnO or nano‐ZnO system) to impart flame‐retardant property on cotton fabrics. FR‐CL or FR‐CL‐PA‐treated cotton specimen showed roughened and wrinkled fabric surface morphology, which was caused by the attack of the FR with slightly acidity. In addition, FTIR analysis showed some new characteristic peaks, carbonyl, CH₂ rocking and CH₃ asymmetric and CH₂ symmetric stretching bands, in the chemical structure of treated cotton specimens. Apart from these, the flame ignited on the flame‐retardant‐treated fabrics (without subjected to any post‐wet treatment) extinguished right after the removal of ignition source. However, FR‐CL treated specimens were no longer flame‐resistant when the specimens subjected to neutralization and/or home laundering, while FR‐CL‐PA treated specimens showed opposite results. By using 0.2% and 0.4% of ZnO or nano‐ZnO as co‐catalyst, the flame spread rate of neutralized and/or laundered test specimens decreased, even the specimens were undergone 10 home laundering cycles. Moreover, flame‐retardant‐treated cotton specimens had low breaking load and tearing strength resulting from side effects of the crosslinking agent used, while addition of ZnO or nano‐ZnO co‐catalyst could compensates for the reduction. Furthermore, the free formaldehyde content was dropped when ZnO and nano‐ZnO co‐catalyst was added in the treatment. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Formulation of a novel soybean protein‐based wood adhesive with desired water resistance and technological applicability

A novel soybean protein‐based wood adhesive with good bond strength, excellent water resistance, and the desired technological applicability was formulated by combining thermal alkali degradation, thermal acid treatment, and crosslinking. The characterization results indicated that thermal alkali degradation could effectively improve the technological applicability, thermal acid treatment could positively improve the water resistance, and appropriate crosslinking modification could significantly enhance the bond strength and water resistance of the soybean protein adhesive. The crosslinker species, crosslinker level, and ratio of thermal alkali‐degraded soybean protein (DSP) to thermal acid‐treated soybean protein (TSP) had important effects on the primary properties of the soybean protein adhesives. The modified polyamide aqueous solution was the most preferable crosslinker because of its low viscosity, good crosslinking efficiency, and excellent miscibility with soybean protein solution. The optimal soybean protein adhesive that was formulated from 20 wt % modified polyamide as the crosslinker and a DSP/TSP ratio of 1:3 had a solid content of more than 35 wt %, suitable viscosity (～2180 mPa s), a long work life (>16 h), good dry bond strength (2.94 MPa), and 28 h of boiling–dry–boiling cycled wet strength (1.29 MPa) that met the required values for structural use according to JIS K6806‐2003 commercial standards. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43586.     

Photocatalytic functional cotton fabrics containing benzophenone chromophoric groups

In preparation of self‐decontamination clothing materials in high reactivities against toxic agents, photoactive benzophenone chromophoric groups were incorporated into cotton fabrics. The cotton fabrics were treated by using 4‐hydroxybenzophenone as a reagent, 1,2,3,4,‐butanetetra carboxylic acid (BTCA) as a crosslinker, and sodium hypophosphite as a catalyst. The fabric treatment was conducted by a pad‐dry‐cure method. The benzophenone chromophoric group incorporated cotton fabrics were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TGA, and so on. The results confirmed the expected structures of the benzophenone chromophoric group modified and BTCA crosslinked cotton fabrics. The treated cotton fabrics demonstrated radical reactivities and antibacterial activity under UV irradiation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Enhanced dynamic mechanical and shape‐memory properties of a poly(ethylene terephthalate)–poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer crosslinked by maleic anhydride

Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and ethylene glycol (EG) were used for the preparation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was added as a soft segment to prepare a PET–PEG copolymer with a shape‐memory function. MWs of the PEG used were 200, 400, 600, and 1000 g/mol, and various molar ratios of EG and PEG were tried. Their tensile and shape‐memory properties were compared at various points. The glass‐transition and melting temperatures of PET–PEG copolymers decreased with increasing PEG molecular weight and content. A tensile test showed that the most ideal mechanical properties were obtained when the molar ratio of EG and PEG was set to 80:20 with 200 g/mol of PEG. The shape memory of the copolymer with maleic anhydride (MAH) as a crosslinking agent was also tested in terms of shape retention and shape recovery rate. The amount of MAH added was between 0.5 and 2.5 mol % with respect to DMT, and tensile properties and shape retention and recovery rate generally improved with increasing MAH. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 27–37, 2002     

Combination of a hydroxy‐functional organophosphorus oligomer and a multifunctional carboxylic acid as a flame retardant finishing system for cotton: Part I. The chemical reactions

Multifunctional carboxylic acids, such as 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), have been used as crosslinking agents for cotton cellulose to produce wrinkle‐resistant cotton fabrics and garments. Polycarboxylic acids were used to bond hydroxy‐functional organophosphorus oligomer to cotton, thus imparting durable flame retarding properties to the cotton fabric. This research investigated the chemical reactions between the hydroxy‐functional organophosphorus compound and BTCA on cotton. BTCA crosslinks cotton cellulose through the formation of a 5‐membered cyclic anhydride intermediate and esterification of the anhydride with cellulose. In the presence of the organophosphorus compound, BTCA reacts with both the organophosphorus compound and cellulose, thus functioning as a binder between cotton cellulose and the organophosphorus compound and making the flame retarding system durable to laundering. The cotton fabric treated by the combination of the organophosphorus compound and BTCA demonstrated lower wrinkle resistance and less tensile strength loss than that treated by BTCA alone. The phosphorus retention on the cotton fabric after one home laundering cycle was approximately 70%. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of sulfated β‐cyclodextrin/cotton/ZnO nano composite for improve the antibacterial activity and dyeability with Azadirachta indica

The sulfated β‐cyclodextrin (sb‐cd) was prepared from β‐cyclodextrin and the sb‐cd was crosslinked with cotton fabric using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as crosslinker. After crosslinking, the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were padded on this fabric surface. Then, the treated fabrics were dyed with neem extract. The synthesized polymer, crosslinked and nanoparticle‐treated cotton fabrics were characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), particle sized analyzer, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. The antibacterial test was done against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacterium. The composite coated with neem dyed cotton fabric has exhibited 71% of dye uptake with 2–3 fastness grade and it has 99% of antibacterial efficiency for S. aureus and 97% for E. coli bacterium. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

The study of colour fastness of commercial microencapsulated photoresponsive dye applied on cotton,cotton/polyester and polyester fabric using a pad‐dry‐cure process

Commercial microencapsulated photoresponsive dye was applied on cotton, polyester/cotton and polyester fabric using a pad‐dry‐cure process. Colour fastness of the photoresponsive fabrics to washing, wet cleaning, dry cleaning, rubbing and light was investigated. The CIELAB colour values of the fabrics before and after testing were measured using a reflectance spectrophotometer, and the colour differences were calculated to evaluate the fastness properties. The fabrics had better colour fastness to wet cleaning and washing than to dry cleaning. The fabrics showed higher colour fastness to wet than to dry rubbing. The photoresponsiveness of the fabrics decreased with prolonged exposure time to artificial light due to low photostability of the microcapsules.     

Modification of cellulose fabrics with reactive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes to improve their shape‐memory performance

Reactive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (R‐POSS) containing multi‐N‐methylol is a functional and attractive staring monomer for new reinforcement materials. R‐POSS has excellent potential as a nanosized core for starburst dendrimers and highly reactive multi‐N‐methylol. R‐POSS can be used for cellulose fabric finishing to improve its shape‐memory performance. Factors affecting the crosslinking reaction of the cellulose with R‐POSS were investigated. The physical properties and morphological structure of the cellulose fabrics modified with R‐POSS are discussed with respect to the crease recovery angle, the whiteness index, micro‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the crease recovery angle of the fabric modified with R‐POSS obviously increased. With increasing R‐POSS concentration, the crease recovery angle of the modified fabric sharply increased. R‐POSS readily crosslinked to cellulose and improved the elastic recovery of the cellulose fabrics. The surfaces of the cellulose fibers modified with R‐POSS were smooth and full. The inclusion of R‐POSS with dimethylol dihydroxyl ethylene urea to modify the cellulose showed very interesting results. It showed a good combination of an increase of crease recovery angle and a decrease in tensile strength. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Dynamic mechanical properties of sandwich‐structured epoxy beam composites containing poly(ethyleneterephthalate)/poly(ethyleneglycol) copolymer with shape memory effect

To make smart vibration‐controlling composite laminate, a few poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymers with shape memory ability were prepared. After selecting the best composition of PET–PEG copolymer in mechanical properties, a crosslinking agent such as glycerine, sorbitol, or maleic anhydride (MA) was included for crosslinked copolymer, followed by analysis of its effect on mechanical, shape memory, and damping properties. The highest shape recovery was observed for copolymer with 2.5 mol % of glycerine, and the best damping effect indicating vibration control ability was from copolymer with 2.5 mol % of sorbitol. With the optimum copolymers in hand, sandwich‐structured epoxy beam composites fabricated from an epoxy beam laminate and crosslinked PET–PEG copolymer showed that impact strength increased from 1.9 to 3.7 times depending on the type of copolymer, and damping effect also increased as much as 23 times for the best case compared to epoxy laminate beam alone. The resultant sandwich‐structured epoxy beam composite can be utilized as structural composite material with vibration control ability, and its glass transition temperature can be controlled by adjustment of PET, PEG, or crosslinking agent composition. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3141–3149, 2003     

Temperature‐sensitive poly(N‐tert‐butylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide) hydrogels bonded on cotton fabrics by coating technique

Different from the conventional method of developing stimuli‐sensitive textiles by graft copolymerization of environmental responsive polymers onto the fabric, the coating technique was applied to bond temperature‐sensitive hydrogels with cotton fabric through chemical covalent in our work. A temperature‐sensitive linear copolymer of N‐tert‐butylacrylamide (NTBA) and acrylamide (AAm) was prepared in methanol. Then, the cotton fabrics were coated using an aqueous solution of this copolymer containing 1,2,3,4‐butanetertracarboxylic acid as a crosslinker and sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as a catalyst, followed by drying and curing. The surface of the cotton fabrics was bonded on more or less coatings of poly (NTBA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels, as verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy images. The poly(NTBA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels‐coated fabrics exhibited temperature sensitive, and the temperature interval of the deswelling transition was higher than lower critical solution temperature of linear copolymer solution. The coated fabrics presented good water‐impermeable ability because of the swelling of hydrogels bonded, especially when the add‐on was as high as 14.14%. Environmental scanning electron microscopy images revealed that coating hydrogels swelled and covered on the surface as a barrier to prevent water from penetrating once the coated fabric came into contact with water. The findings demonstrate that the temperature‐sensitive hydrogels can be covalently bonded on the cotton fabrics by coating technique and the coated fabrics have potential on immersion fabrics. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Alkaline treatment of cotton in different reagent mixtures with reduced water content. II. Influence of finishing procedure

Changes in cotton fabrics brought about by different swelling agents and different types of finishing procedures have been studied in this work, using a single‐step swelling of cotton in the reagent. Cotton fabrics were treated with different alkalis and mixtures of alkalis and other additives and finished with a modified type of 1,3‐dimethylol‐4,5‐dihydroxyethylene urea, using wet‐on‐wet and wet‐on‐dry technique. Properties generally used to characterize mercerized cotton were selected that are technologically important, such as water retention, shrinkage, stiffness, and crease recovery angle. Water retention method has been used to compare the degree of swelling for different samples. Differences in properties among these samples were observed and some practically important conclusions were arrived at. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1194–1201, 2006     

Sol-gel synthesis and characterizations of organically modified silica coatings on knitted cellulose for fixation applications

In order to improve the fixation properties, a novel organically modified silica coating (OMSC) was deposited on knitted cellulose fabric printed with pigment based ink. The organically modified silica sol (OMSS) was prepared by adding tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), ethanol, H₂O and HCl. The color fastnesses of knitted fabrics treated with the OMSS were improved significantly. The coating treatment with OMSS (concentration 4-8 wt%) was beneficial to the washing fastness, and the fade rate of washing was reduced more than 50%. The dry and wet rubbing fastnesses were enhanced one or more grades. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs of knitted cellulose fabrics indicated that continuous OMSCs were formed on the fiber surface, which contributed to the washing and rubbing fastnesses. The bending properties of fabric demonstrated that the fixing treatment had slight effect on the handle. These results suggest fixation with OMSS is an effective pathway to improve the color fastness of knitted cellulose fabrics.     

Durable press finish of cotton/polyester fabrics with 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid and sodium propionate

Sodium hypophosphite (SHP) is widely used as an effective catalyst for the esterification reaction of cellulose with 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). However, catalysts containing phosphorus cause significant shade changes in dyed fabrics because of their reductive nature, and the effluents containing phosphorus cause eutrophication in rivers and lakes. Hence, their commercial application as catalysts in textile processing is limited. In this study sodium propionate and its catalytic activities as a nonphosphorous catalyst were investigated. The evidence for esterification and crosslinking of cellulose with BTCA in the presence of sodium propionate was shown by an improved wrinkle recovery angle and durable press rating of treated fabrics. The presence of ester groups in the treated fabrics was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The performance of sodium propionate as a catalyst for BTCA was comparable to that of SHP. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 654–661, 2001     

Cellulose derivative‐based cholesteric networks

Ethyl‐cyanoethyl cellulose [(E‐CE)C]/acrylic acid (AA) solution could form cholesteric networks when the AA was quickly photopolymerized. The cholesteric structure in the solution was changed during the polymerization but the variation of the cholesteric order could be depressed by crosslinking of the system. The dependence of λ_max for the cholesteric phase on both the crosslinker concentration and the polymerization temperature was studied by UV‐Vis spectrometry. It was found that the cholesteric pitch variation is decreased with increasing the concentration of the crosslinking reagent and the water sensitivity of the cholesteric network is effectively suppressed and dependent on the types of crosslinker. The pitch of cholesteric network was decreased sharply with increasing the polymerization temperature, due to the increase of the volume shrinkage of the solvent during the polymerization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1648–1653, 2005     

Effect of titanium dioxide on the flame‐retardant finishing of cotton fabric

In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) or nano titanium dioxide (nano‐TiO₂) was used as a cocatalyst in the flame‐retardant (FR) formulation of N‐methylol dimethylphosphonopropionamide (Pyrovatex CP New, FR), melamine resin [Knittex CHN, crosslinking agent (CL)], and phosphoric acid (PA) for cotton fabrics to improve the treatment effectiveness and minimize the side effects of the treatment. For FR‐treated cotton fabrics, the flame extinguished right after removal of the ignition source with no flame spreading. However, after neutralization and/or home laundering, FR–CL‐treated specimens failed the flammability test, whereas the opposite results were obtained from FR–CL–PA‐treated specimens. A noticeable result was that the TiO₂/nano‐TiO₂ cocatalyst had a significant effect on decreasing the flame‐spread rate. Thermal analysis found that the FR‐treated specimens without wet posttreatment showed two endothermic peaks representing the phosphorylation of cellulose and acid‐catalyzed dehydration. In addition, the treated fabrics showed some new characteristic peaks in their chemical structures; these were interpreted as carbonyl bands, CH₂ rocking bands, and CH₃ asymmetric and CH₂ symmetric stretching. The surface morphology of the FR–CL–PA‐treated cotton specimens showed a roughened and wrinkled fabric surface with a high deposition of the finishing agent that had a lower breaking load and tearing strength, which resulted from the side effects of the CL used. However, the addition of a TiO₂ or nano‐TiO₂ cocatalyst could compensate for the reduction in the tensile strength. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Mechanism of crosslinking Tencel woven fabric for superior easy‐care properties and analysis using fluorescence microscopy

A crosslinking treatment to impart easy‐care properties to Tencel fabric has been investigated, using dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (Reaktant DH) as crosslinking agent and magnesium chloride hexahydrate as catalyst. Nonconventional treatment techniques such as “flash curing,” “moist curing,” “pad‐batch‐cure,” and “pad‐dry‐dry steam cure” are used to facilitate better penetration of crosslinking monomer into the fiber interior. Easy‐care properties of Tencel fabrics using these techniques are evaluated and compared with those treated with resin monomer using conventional pad‐dry‐cure process. Analysis of treated fabric using a fluorescent labeling technique and image analysis shows that nonconventional techniques significantly improve the penetration of crosslinking agent. The results further suggest that these techniques can be used to improve abrasion resistance and fabric handle of Tencel woven fabric. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2154–2161, 2006