| Abstract: | Starch and oxidized starches of different molecular sises were carboxymethylated under identical conditions. The degree of substitution (DS) of the so obtained. CMS samples increases by decreasing the molecular sise of starch which, indeed, is a manifestation of higher extents of oxidation. The latter was effected using different sodium hypochlorite concentrations and the extent of oxidation was expressed as chlorine consumption. Pastes of these CMS samples exhibit pseudoplastic behaviour and their apparent viscosity decreases as the extent of oxidation increases, when used as thickeners in printing polyester fabric with disperse dyes, these pastes bring about prints the colour strength (K/S) of which are comparable with these for conventional thickeners, namely commercial CMS and sodium alginate. Mixing of sodium alginate with the prepared CMS samples increases the efficiency of the latter to act as the thickening agent. The highest K/S is obtained with CMS derived from starch oxidized using 1.25g active chlorine/1. Mean while, the colour fastness properties of the prints towards rubbing, washing and perspiration are nearly equal to those fabrics printed using the conventional thickeners such as sodium alginate or commercial CMS. |
