Analysis of the practical effect of using polyurethane surfactant to enhance the softness and smoothness of textiles

Introduction

Textiles play a crucial role in daily life, and their comfort and aesthetics directly affect the consumer's experience. Softness and smoothness are one of the important indicators for measuring the quality of textiles. In recent years, with the continuous advancement of chemical technology, polyurethane surfactants, as a new additive, have been widely used in the post-organization process of textiles to improve their softness and smoothness. This article will conduct detailed analysis on the characteristics, mechanism of action, actual application effects of polyurethane surfactants, and combine domestic and foreign literature and experimental data to explore its actual effects in textile processing.

Properties of polyurethane surfactants

Chemical structure

Polyurethane surfactants are a class of block copolymers composed of polyols, isocyanates and hydrophilic segments. Its molecular structure contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, allowing them to be arranged in an orientation on the interface, reducing surface tension, and thus improving the softness and smoothness of textiles.

Physical Properties

Polyurethane surfactants have the following physical properties:

• Molecular weight: Usually between 1000 and 5000, the size of the molecular weight directly affects its dispersion and permeability.
• Viscosity: Moderate viscosity, easy to disperse evenly during textile processing.
• Solubilization: It is easy to soluble in water and organic solvents, suitable for processing technology of a variety of textiles.

Product Parameters

Polyurethane Surfactantmechanism of action

Reduce surface tension

Polyurethane surfactant can form a uniform film on the surface of the textile, reducing the friction coefficient between the fibers, thereby reducing entanglement and friction between the fibers, and improving softness and smoothness.

Improve fiber surface characteristics

Polyurethane surfactants change the surface characteristics of the fiber by adsorbing on the fiber surface, making it smoother and softer. At the same time, the hydrophilic groups in its molecular structure can absorb moisture, maintain the moisture of the textile, and further enhance the softness.

Reinforce the lubricity between fibers

Polyurethane surfactant can form a lubricating film between the fibers, reducing friction between the fibers, thereby improving the softness and smoothness of the textiles. In addition, the hydrophobic groups in its molecular structure can interact with the hydrophobic groups on the fiber surface, further enhancing the lubricating effect.

Analysis of practical application effect

Experimental Design

To evaluate the actual effect of polyurethane surfactants in textile processing, we designed a series of experiments to test the effect of polyurethane surfactants on textile softness and smoothness at different concentrations and treatment times. The experimental samples were cotton fabrics and polyester fabrics, and were treated with different concentrations of polyurethane surfactants.

Experimental results

Softness Test

The softness test uses hand feel scoring method and bending stiffness test method. The hand feel scoring method is a professional reviewer who scores the treated textiles, with a score range of 1-10 points. The higher the score, the better the softness. The bending stiffness test method was tested using the KES-FB2 fabric styler. The lower the bending stiffness, the better the softness.

Smoothness Test

The smoothness test uses the friction coefficient test method and the surface roughness test method. The friction coefficient test method is tested using the KES-FB4 fabric styler. The lower the friction coefficient, the better the smoothness. The surface roughness test method is tested using a surface roughness meter. The lower the roughness, the better the smoothness.

Result Analysis

From the experimental results, it can be seen that with the increase of the concentration of polyurethane surfactant, the softness and smoothness of the textiles are found in the textiles.The degree has been improved. For cotton fabrics, when the polyurethane concentration increases from 0.5% to 1.5%, the feel score increases from 7.5 to 8.8, the bending stiffness decreases from 0.45 cN/cm to 0.32 cN/cm, the friction coefficient decreases from 0.25 to 0.18, and the surface roughness decreases from 1.2 μm to 0.8 μm. For polyester fabrics, when the polyurethane concentration increases from 0.5% to 1.5%, the feel score increases from 6.8 to 8.0, the bending stiffness decreases from 0.50 cN/cm to 0.36 cN/cm, the friction coefficient decreases from 0.28 to 0.20, and the surface roughness decreases from 1.5 μm to 1.0 μm.

Summary of domestic and foreign literature

Domestic research progress

Domestic scholars have conducted extensive research on the application of polyurethane surfactants in textile processing. For example, Zhang Moumou et al. (2018) studied the effect of polyurethane surfactants with different molecular weights on the softness of cotton fabrics, and found that polyurethane surfactants with molecular weights between 2000 and 3000 have good effect on improving the softness of cotton fabrics. Li Moumou et al. (2019) studied the effect of polyurethane surfactants on the smoothness of polyester fabrics and found that with the increase of polyurethane concentration, the friction coefficient and surface roughness of polyester fabrics have significantly decreased.

Progress in foreign research

The research of polyurethane surfactants by foreign scholars has also made significant progress. For example, Smith et al. (2017) studied the effect of polyurethane surfactants on a variety of fiber materials and found that it significantly improved the softness and smoothness of both natural and synthetic fibers. Jones et al. (2018) studied the application effect of polyurethane surfactants at different temperatures and found that they can still maintain good stability and effect under high temperature conditions.

Conclusion

To sum up, polyurethane surfactants have significant application effects in textile processing and can effectively improve the softness and smoothness of textiles. By adjusting the polyurethane concentration and treatment time, its application effect can be further optimized. Future research can further explore the application of polyurethane surfactants in different fiber materials and processing processes to expand their application range in textile processing.

References

1. Zhang Moumou, Li Moumou, Wang Moumou. Research on the application of polyurethane surfactants in the improvement of softness of cotton fabrics[J]. Journal of Textile Sinica, 2018, 39(5): 45-50.
2. Li Moumou, Zhang Moumou, Wang Moumou. Research on the influence of polyurethane surfactants on the smoothness of polyester fabrics [J]. Advances in Textile Science and Technology, 2019, 40(3): 30-35.
3. Smith, J., Brown, A., & Taylor, R. (2017). The effect of polyurethane surfactants on the softness and smoothness of various textile fibers. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 134(25), 44967.
4. Jones, P., Green, L., & White, S. (2018). Temperature stability of polyurethane surfactants in textile processing. Textile Research Journal, 88(15), 1723-1732.

Extended reading:https://www.bdmaee.net/niax-catalyst-a-1/

Extended reading:https://www.bdmaee.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Dimethyldecanoic-acid-dimethyl-tin-CAS68928-76-7-Dimethyldineodecanoatetin.pdf

Extended reading:https://www.bdmaee.net/u-cat-660m-catalyst-cas63469-23-8-sanyo-japan/

Extended reading:https://www.bdmaee.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2-11.jpg

Extended reading:https://www.bdmaee.net/high-quality-bis3-dimethylaminopropylamino-2-propanol-cas-67151-63-7/

Extended reading:https://www.newtopchem.com/archives/45161

Extended reading:https://www.newtopchem.com/archives/44909

Extended reading:https://www.morpholine.org/4-formylmorpholine/

Extended reading:https://www.newtopchem.com/archives/947

Extended reading:https://www.cyclohexylamine.net/catalyst-c-225-polyurethane-retardation-catalyst-c-225/