Cotton Yarn Sizing by Acrylamide Grafted Starch Copolymer

Synthesis and characterization of copolymer obtained by grafting acrylamide onto hydrolyzed potato starch and its application in cotton yarn sizing were presented in this work. Some process parameters of starch hydrolysis and grafting, like as hydrolysis yield, grafting yield, grafting percentage, graft efficiency, and monomer to polymer conversion were determinated. Molar mass values of hydrolyzed starch and copolymer samples are located in a narrow range of 1 × 10⁵ to 1 × 10⁷ and 1 × 10² to 1 × 10⁴. Grafted hydrolyzed starch, as a sizing agent, gives better results than nongrafted, particularly in terms of sizing uniformity, yarn mechanical parameters, and easier removal in subsequent desizing process.