Improvement of the dimensional change and crease resistance of cotton and cellulose rayon fabrics by irradiation graft copolymerization (initiated by free radical) Recent technological development of French textile machinery

Cotton and cellulose rayon fabrics were grafted with acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and vinyl pyrrolidone monomers. The graft copolymerization was carried out by pre-irradiation technique using Co-60 gamma rays and electron accelerator. The influence of the irradiation dose, monomer concentration, temperature, and grafting time was studied. Various mechanical properties such as dimensional stability, crease recovery angle, tensile strength, and abrasion resistence were evaluated. It was concluded, that graft copolymerization of acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and vinyl pyrrolidone into cellulose could improve the dimensional stability and crease recovery angle of the fabric, while its tensile strength and its abrasion decreased with the increase of irradiation dose. Grafting temperature of 60-70 deg C, reaction time of 5-40 minutes, and irradiation dose of 0.50-0.75 Mrad, were found to be the optimal conditions for the graft copolymerization process. (author)