FACTORS AFFECTING THE DYEABILITY OF COTTON CROSS-LINKED WITH POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID

Improved dyeing properties of cotton crosslinked with polycarboxylic a cids are produced by addition of reactive nitrogenous additives, such as alkanolamines and hydroxyalkyl quaternary ammonium salts, to the tr eatment formulation. Both N-methylolamides and polycarboxylic acids ar e effective for crosslinking cotton and bonding reactive nitrogenous a dditives to the cellulosic substrate, but dyeing characteristics of th e finished fabrics are very different. In this study, the influence of the reactive additives and dyebath pH on the colour yields of cotton crosslinked with polycarboxylic acids and then dyed with anionic dyes were determined. Emphasis is on the dyeing properties of cotton finish ed with 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid or citric acid non-formalde hyde crosslinking agents, and alkanolamine hydrochloride or hydroxyalk yl quaternary ammonium salt additives.