Patent GB-955088-A (GB)
Title: Method of crease-proofing cellulosic textile materials and cellulosic crease-proofedtextile materials
IPC: D06M14/04
Filed: 1960-06-02
Abstract: Textile materials containing cellulosic fibres are crease-proofed by impregnating them with an in situ polymerizable N-methylol, N-methoxy methyl-, N-methyl-N-methylol or N-methyl-N-methoxymethyl-amide of a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and subjecting them to conditions such that the amide monomer is polymerized by addition at the double bond and also reacted with the hydroxyl groups in the cellulose molecule whereby there results a cross-linked product of cellulose and an addition polymer. The amide monomer may be polymerized by including in the impregnating solution, or applying to the textile material before or after impregnation, a free radical initiator for addition polymerization which is preferably soluble in water or in a single-phase solution containing at least 20% by weight of water, e.g. a mixture of water with an alcohol or ketone, and may be acidic, e.g. ammonium and alkali metal persulphates, in which case it also catalyses the reaction of the methylol or methoxymethyl groups with the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose, or neutral, e.g. azodiisobutyronitrile, in which case an acidic material, e.g. sodium bisulphate, ammonium chloride, the salts of mineral acids, e.g. hydrochloric and sulphuric acids, with amines, e.g. 2-methyl-2-amino propanol-1, p. toluene sulphonic acid and oxalic, lactic and acetic acids, is also included in the solution. After impregnation with the initiator, with or without the additional acidic catalyst, the textile material may be dried and then heated to 105-205 DEG C. to effect simultaneous polymerization and crosslinking.  Alternatively, the textile material may be suspended in the aqueous solution of the amide and the non-acidic initiator which is held at a temperature of 25 DEG -100 DEG C. until polymerization is effected and then treated with an acidic catalyst, dried and heated at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. to effect crosslinking or the fabric may be impregnated with the amide and acidic catalyst, dried and heated at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. to effect reaction with the cellulose and then impregnated with a solution of the initiator, polymerization being effected either in the dry phase at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. or in the wet phase at 25 DEG C.-100 DEG C.  The impregnating solution may also contain one or more addition monomers which do not react with the cellulose and which are soluble in water or in a single phase aqueous medium containing at least 20% by weight of water, e.g. acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate and esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid with alcohols having 1-8 or more carbon atoms. The fabric may be treated simultaneously with or before or after the application of the amide with water-repellant agents which may also soften the fabric, e.g. quaternary ammonium compounds having a long chained hydrocarbon group, and auxiliary agents for increasing the crease resistance, for hand building, for increasing tear strength or improving abrasion resistance, e.g. aqueous dispersions of water insoluble copolymers of acrylic, methacrylic or itaconic acids with esters of acrylic, methacrylic, itaconic, maleic, fumaric or citraconic acid with monohydric alcohols, vinyl esters of carboxylic acids, vinyloxyalkyl esters, vinyl ethers, methacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile, methacrylamide, acrylamide, vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, vinylidene chloride, vinylidene fluoride, 1-chloro-1-fluoro ethylene, ethylene, styrene, 2 vinyl pyridine, 4-vinyl pyridine, or 2-methyl-5-vinyl pyridine dispersed with non-ionic dispersing agents, numerous examples of which are given.ALSO:Textile materials containing cellulosic fibres, e.g. cotton, viscose rayon, cuprammonium cellulose rayon, linen and ramie, are creaseproofed by impregnating them with an in situ polymerizable N-methylol, N-methoxy methyl-, N-methyl-N-methylol or N-methyl-N-methoxymethyl-amide of a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and subjecting them to conditions such that the amide monomer is polymerized by addition at the double band and also reacted with the hydroxyl groups in the cellulose molecule whereby there results a cross-linked product of cellulose and an addition polymer.  The amide monomer may be polymerized by including in the impregnating solution, or applying to the textile material before or after impregnation, a free radical initiator for addition polymerization which is preferably soluble in water or in a single-phase solution containing at least 20% by weight of water, e.g. a mixture of water with an alcohol or ketone, and may be acidic, e.g. ammonium and alkali metal persulphates, in which case it also catalyses the reaction of the methylol or methoxymethyl groups with the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose, or neutral, e.g. azodiisobutyronitrile, in which case an acidic material, e.g. sodium bisulphate, ammonium chloride, the salts of mineral acids, e.g. hydrochloric and sulphuric acids, with amines, e.g. 2-methyl-2-amino propanol-1, p. toluene sulphonic acid and oxalic, lactic and acetic acids, is also included in the solution.  After impregnation with the initiator, with or without the additional acidic catalyst, the textile material may be dried and then heated to 105-205 DEG C. to effect simultaneous polymerization and crosslinking.  Alternatively, the textile material may be suspended in the aqueous solution of the amide and the non acidic initiator which is held at a temperature of 25 DEG -100 DEG C. until polymerization is effected and then treated with an acidic catalyst, dried and heated at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. to effect crosslinking or the fabric may be impregnated with the amide and acidic catalyst, dried and heated at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. to effect reaction with the cellulose and then impregnated with a solution of the initiator, polymerization being effected either in the dry phase at 105 DEG -205 DEG C. or in the wet phase at 25 DEG C.-100 DEG C.  The impregnating solution may also contain one or more addition monomers which do not react with the cellulose and which are soluble in water or in a single phase aqueous medium containing at least 20% by weight of water, e.g. acrylonitrile, acrylic, acid, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate and esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid with alcohols having 1-8 or more carbon atoms. The fabric may be treated simultaneously with or before or after the application of the amide with water-repellent agents which may also soften the fabric, e.g. quaternary ammonium compounds having a long chained hydrocarbon group, and auxiliary agents for increasing the crease resistance, for hand building, for increasing tear strength or improving abrasion resistance, e.g. aqueous dispersions of water insoluble copolymers of acrylic, methacrylic or itaconic acids with esters of acrylic, methacrylic, itaconic, maleic, fumaric or citraconic acid with monohydric alcohols, vinyl esters of carboxylic acids, vinyloxyalkyl esters, vinyl ethers, methacryonitrile, acrylonitrile, methacrylamide, acrylamide, vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, vinylidene chloride, vinylidene fluoride, 1-chloro-1-fluoro ethylene, ethylene, styrene, 2-vinyl pyridine, 4-vinyl pyridine, or 2-methyl-5-vinyl pyridine dispersed with non-ionic dispersing agents, numerous examples of which are given. The textile material may be a woven, knitted or non woven fabric, yarn, thread, fibre or filament, and may be dyed but if not pigments and/or dyes may be included in the amide solution or solution of an auxiliary agent or the material may be printed or dyed after the crease-proofing treatment.