DYEABLE CROSS-LINKED CELLULOSE FROM LOW FORMALDEHYDE AND NONFORMALDEHYDE FINISHING SYSTEMS

Regulatory limits on the amount of releasable formaldehyde govern the nature of finishing systems used for producing easy care cellulosic fabrics. Currently, the most widely used cross-linking agents for finishing cotton textiles are formaldehyde based. One of the adverse features of these agents is that the finished fabrics are susceptible to formaldehyde release. Certain reactive nitrogenous additives, effective in increasing the affinity of cross-linked cellulose for anionic dyes, also are effective in decreasing the amount of formaldehyde released from finished fabrics. Some of these same reactive additives also greatly enhance the receptivity of non-formaldehyde polycarboxylic acid cross-linked cottons for anionic dyes. In this study, the effect of reactive additives on formaldehyde release from cottons finished with formaldehyde-containing agents is discussed, as are the dyeing and colorfastness properties of these fabrics. Also examined are anionic dyeing and fastness properties of non-formaldehyde polycarboxylic acid cross-linked cellulosic fabrics.