Wrinkle recovery and performance properties of viscose surface treated with different crosslinking agents

Abstract

Cellulosic-based surfaces, such as viscose and linen, tend quickly to wrinkle, and this is an undesirable property during uses. In this study, it is aimed to investigate their effects on formaldehyde amount, color, tear and tear resistance, modulus of elasticity, softness, and wrinkle recovery angle of viscose surface after applying three different cross-linking chemicals. It has been observed that cross-linking agents had bound to viscose surface, and cross-links were formed between adjacent fibers. Although free formaldehyde values were positively below 75 ppm in all applications, it was seen that color difference and yellowing continued to be a problem. Considering the physical properties, which is one of the other negative results, the improvements in breaking and tearing strength were obtained compared to the untreated surface. While lower bending rigidity values were measured for all applications, surfaces had a softer handle after treatments. At the same time, the higher wrinkle angle values were achieved on the surfaces with an increase in concentration. It was determined that imidazoline gave the best wrinkle angle values among cross-linkers. The results showed that cross-linkers made a positive contribution to the wrinkle property of the viscose surface.