Performance Enhancement of Citric Acid As a Formaldehyde Free Easy Care Cross-Linker by Using Nano Titanium Dioxide and Novel Easy Care Finishing for Cotton

The Performance of nano TiO₂ with citric acid cross-linker was assessed by using pad-dry-cure method on cotton fabric. Significant increase in crease recovery performance was observed which was previously only associated with the lengthy ultraviolet irradiation process. The optimum amount of only 0.1% nano TiO2 was needed with the citric acid to exhibit significant increase in crease recovery performance of the treated cotton fabric. Typically the application of a cross-linker to cellulosics will impart a deleterious effect on the softness of the fabric; however incorporation of nano-TiO2 with the citric acid cross-linker significantly improved the softness of the fabric which was reflected in the mean deviation of coefficient of friction (MMD) KES-F value. In addition there was improvement in tensile strength retention of the treated fabric as well.

A novel, cost effective and formaldehyde-free Finish, Mancare, has been developed and imparted better crease recovery performance than formaldehyde based DMDHEU. In addition there was significant improvement in tensile strength retention and abrasion resistance retention of the treated fabric as compared to DMDHEU treated cotton fabric. This novel application may provide the cost effective and zero formaldehyde alternative to the current DMDHEU processing.