Optimization of Ionic Crosslinking Process: An Alternative to Conventional Durable Press Finishing

Cotton fiber has a natural tendency to wrinkle. In order to overcome this undesired property several durable press finishes were proposed and have been used for a long while. However, most of these chemical finishes release formaldehyde, a suspected human carcinogen, which causes fabric to lose strength and to yellow. Non-formaldehyde alternatives to these finishes are expensive. Thus, a non-formaldehyde finish prepared by using common and more available chemicals is required. In this study, we prepared anionic cotton fabric and further treated it with a novel crosslinker, namely cationic glycerin. We focused on optimizing an ionic crosslinking process in terms of the treated fabric's wrinkle recovery angle (WRA). Our results showed that high WRA results may be achieved and the strength of fabric may also be increased.