Studies of crosslink structures in cotton fabrics treated with dimethylol ethylene urea and monomethylol ethylene urea prepolymer mixture for wrinkle-resistant finish

Ethylene urea and paraformaldehyde with different mole ratios are used as s ource materials to synthesize dimethylol ethylene urea/monomethylol ethylen e urea (DMEU/MMEU) prepolymer resin. The DMEU/MMEU prepolymer resin is then applied to cotton fabrics for wrinkle-resistant finishing. The influence o f DMEU/MMEU prepolymer resin on crosslink structures in the treated fabrics is studied, The results show that the formaldehyde content in the treated cotton fabrics with various crosslink structures is determined by the mole ratio of paraformaldehyde in the source mixture and the curing temperature in the finishing process. The crosslink integrity shows various effects on the physical properties of the treated fabrics. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.