Functionalization of textiles

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Introduction
What is functionalization?
• To impart new characteristics, feature
• To improve the existing for higher
performance

• Why functionalization?
• To get required response
• To improve product quality
• To protect the user
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Functionalization of textiles
Objectives
• To enhance comfort
• To protect the wearer from dangerous
environment
• To impart functionality

• How achieved?
• Through mechanical treatments
• Throgh chemical agents
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Difference between surface and bulk functionalization

Surface functionaization
• When only surface is involved in modification
process.
• Surface properties are able to control the
overall characteristics of materials.

• Bulk functionalization
• When material is homogeneouly modified
before or during processing.

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Surface functionaization

Surface modification through irradiation

Photocatalytic acivity enhancement through

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deposition of carbon nitride nanosheets
Bulk functionaization
Incorporation of nanomaterials during fibre synthesis
Copolymerization

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Softening of textiles
• Softener
• Mallinson ( 2001 ) defi nes textile softener as a
‘chemical or blend of chemicals which, when
applied to textile materials, brings about a
change of handle that is more pleasing to the
touch’, although the notion of ‘pleasing to the
touch’ varies from person to person.

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Requirements of soft finishes
• easy to handle
• compatible with other finishing chemicals
• resistant to high temperatures (especially where fabric
finishes are cured)
• non-yellowing and not causing tonal variations in
coloured goods
• no adversely affect fastness properties
• Low foaming
• shear stability
• no deposition on rollers
• good exhaustion properties
• dermatologically safe
• non-toxic to humans and the environment

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Softening
Objectives
• Pleasing touch
• Pliability
• Flexibility
• Good drape
• To improve cutting and sewing characteristics
• To reduce static charge

• Why materials are stiff and harsh?

• Limited freedom of movement of molecular chains and fibres
• Friction between chains
• Interchain bonding
• Higher Tg
• Surface friction

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Softening
Mechanisms of the softening effect
• Deposition of softener molecules on surface and
their orientation
• lowering of Tg through penetration of small
molecules

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Classification of softeners
On the basis of Chemistry of Softeners
• Long chain hydrocarbons

• Silicone based

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Softening
Classification of Softeners
• On the basis of Ionicity
– Cationic Softeners
– Anionic Softeners
– Amphoteric softeners
– Nonionic softeners

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Softening
• Orientation of cationic and anionic softener
on fiber

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Softening
Long chain hydrocarbons
Classification depending upon their ionicity
• Cationic Softeners
• Anionic Softeners
• Amphoteric softeners
• Nonionic softeners

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Softening
Chemistry of Softeners
• Cationic Softeners
– Quaternary ammonium salts
– Amido amine compounds
– Imidazoline

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Softening
• Cationic Softeners
– Carry positive charge
– Most effective, only 0.2% actives on the fibre can give a full
soft hand.
– substantive to all fibres including glass and particularly
cotton, facilitating simple exhaust application from rinse
baths.
– The manufacturing technology is well established
– price competitiveness
– They provide a highly characteristic handle, which is well-
liked – bulky but not too greasy.
– good antistatic and lubricative properties

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Softening
Cationic Softeners
– Quaternary ammonium salts
– Distearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, often referred to as DSDMAC

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Softening
• DSDMAC
• The compound imparts a strong hydrophobic
effect – for example, making towels ineffective
• It is very sensitive to electrolytes and hardness
in water.
• It is slow to biodegrade and is therefore the
subject of recent legislation for environmental
reasons.

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Cationic Softeners
• Amido amine compounds

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Cationic Softeners
• Amido amine compounds
– Amine salt compound

– To maintain this protonated form the product is formulated and used under
acidic conditions in the range pH 4–7.
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Cationic Softeners
• Amido amine compounds

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Cationic Softeners
– Imidazoline
• This is the second most important class of softener
compounds
– Imidazolines are derived from amido amines by ring closure under high
temperature conditions with loss of water

Further reaction of the imidazoline with

dimethyl sulphate easily produces the
quaternary imidazolinium compound

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Cationic Softeners
– Miscellaneous cationic compounds
– Normally, high softness is required without changing other properties.
– Softness effect like that of DSDMAC is most wanted
– Properties that could be improved are
• lower tendency to cause waterproofing, especially for towelling
applications;
• reduction of the deleterious effects on optical brighteners and dyestuffs,
such as change of shade, reduced fastness and yellowing;
• reduced toxicity to biological effluent systems and reduced fish and
aquatic toxicity;
• reduced tendency to cause skin reactions in certain individuals;
• enhanced thermal stability to severe drying conditions.

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Cationic Softeners
– Biodegradable softeners

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Cationic softeners
Merits
➢ Imparts soft, fluffy handle
➢ Durable to multiple washes
➢ Imparts antistatic properties
➢ Suitable by any method
➢ Compatible with resins
Demerits
➢ More yellowing, Not suitable for whites
➢ Poor re-wetting properties
➢ May change dyes shade
➢ May deteriorate light fastness
➢ Not compatible with anionic
Exhaust application

Pad application
The padding process requires concentration of 5–10 gpl cationic
softener, 70% expression and drying at 110–130°C in hot air.
Anionic softeners
• Anionic softeners

• Compatible with dye bath and other finishes

• Antistatic properties, better than cationic softeners.
• Can be applied in combination with FBA.

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Anionic softeners
Merits
➢ Good rewetting properties
➢ Good stability towards heat
➢ Less yellowing
➢ Good for lubricating yarns
Demerits
➢ Less softness compared to others
➢ Limited durability to laundering
➢ Mechanical deposition by padding
➢ Incompatible with resins
Amphoteric softeners
Amphoteric Softeners
• Contain anionic (carboxyl) and cationic
(amine) groups within same molecules

• They impart good softness and excellent

antistatic effect

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Nonionic Softeners
Nonionic Softeners

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Nonionic Softeners
• Paraffin Waxes
– Petroleum products
– Non polar and insoluble in water
– Impart hydrophobicity
– Melting point is 50-60 C
– Other types can have 85–93 °C
– Needs to be emulsified
– The softer nature of paraffins and their high residual oil
content can result in scum build-up in application
machinery and a tendency to soil more easily

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Nonionic Softeners
• Polyethylene
– Synthetic with high melting point (100-140 C)
– Properties can be tailor made
– Does not discolor in sunlight like paraffin wax
– More durable than parafin wax
– Low density polyethylenes are used with easy-care and flame-
retardant finishes
– The lubricity of polyethylenes is used to improve mechanical finishing
treatments such as napping and brushing and to reduce needle
damage in making-up.
– Medium and high density polyethylenes are noticeably less soft
but are more permanent to washing and give improved lubricity
on heavierweight fabrics.

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Nonionic Softeners
• Polyethylene

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Nonionic Softeners
• Ethoxylated compounds
– Basic Reaction:
– As the degree of ethoxylation increases the aqueous solubility increases, but
the softening efficacy diminishes rapidly.

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Reactive Softeners
Reactive Softeners
• Contains N-methylol groups

• Chemically react with to form covalent bonds

• Durable to washing
• Impart hydrophobicity
• The hydrophobicity is more than all ionic and nonionic
softeners.
• All reactives require baking at 90–130 °C or higher and this
has been a distinct disadvantage compared with a simple
after-rinse exhaust application.

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Silicone Softeners
Silicone Softeners
• Silicone softener contains
Polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS)

• PDMS impart excellent softness to textile,

much better than all other softeners.
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Silicone Softeners
• Silicone softeners impart better softness due to
following reasons:
– Highly flexible backbone: 0kJ/mole bond rotational
energy (Si-O). While 12kJ/mole for C-C*
– Low surface energy (21mN/m), low affinity for organic
species. Hence, prevent fiber to fiber adhesion.
– Low Tg. Film remains flexible between -90°C to +200°C
– The film is permeable to oxygen and nitrogen.
– Good for human comfort.
– Highly surface active: Excellent spreading and film
forming properties.

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*http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/RotationAboutCarbonCarbonBonds/
Silicone Softeners
• Very low vapour pressure: products above 50 cst
have no volatiles and no odour whatsoever and
almost no weight loss on heating.
• Temperature-stable physical properties: refractive
index, surface tension, density and viscosity
change little with temperature.
• High bond strength: the Si–O bond is very strong,
445 kJ mol–1, compared to carbon–carbon at 346
kJ mol–1 and carbon–oxygen at 358 kJ mol–1 –
silicones are therefore resistant to breakdown at
high temperatures
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*http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/RotationAboutCarbonCarbonBonds/
Silicone Softeners
• Type of Silicone softeners
– PDMS
– Reactive PDMS
– Aminofunctional PDMS
– Hydrophilic PDMS

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Silicone Softeners
• PDMS

– They are used in combination with easy care finish

to improve the tear strength
– To increase the shade depth particularly for
polyester
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Silicone Softeners
• Reactive PDMS

– Form crosslinked network rubber like structure with

excellent elastic properties
– Good for knitwear as it imparts dimensional stability as
well due to crosslinking.
– Impart permanent softness for synthetic fibers
– On cotton, permanancy is satisfactory, but reduces on
repetitive washing due to swelling
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Silicone Softeners
• Reactive PDMS

– Expoxy functional silicones have permanant

softness durable to repetitive washing of
cellulose.
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Silicone Softeners
• Aminofunctional silicone softeners

– They are applied at acidic pH between 4-6

– Impart supersoftening and best in all silicone
softeners.

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Silicone Softeners
• Aminofunctional silicone softeners
• The polymer is cationic and is therefore strongly oriented at
the fibre surface.
• This more ordered deposition coupled with the
characteristics of the silicone leads to supersoftening
effects
• Although these products can be applied from mild alkaline
baths, they are normally applied at pH 6 or below.
• If the acidity is reduced towards pH 4 the amino groups
become more strongly positively charged and the rate of
exhaustion increases. The adhesion to the fibre also
increases giving good durability.
• Silicone softeners are supplied in the form of
microemulsions and have stability to shear and
temperature and dont deposit on rollers.
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Silicone Softeners
– Hydrophilic PDMS

➢ Superior softness
➢ No fabric yellowing
➢ Bulky, full and rich hand-feel
➢ Resistant to laundry washing
➢ Develops hydrophilicity

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Silicone softeners
• Emulsions
– Silicone softeners are available as oil in water
emulsions.

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Silicone softeners
• Effect of emulsion type on softness of fabric

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• Properties of macro and microemulsions

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• Summary of softeners’ properties

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