From anti-wrinkling to flame retardancy: The multifunctional charm of polyurethane emulsion fabric finishing agents
01 Polyurethane emulsion exhibits excellent adhesion properties in fabric finishing, making it an ideal fabric finishing agent. Fabrics treated with polyurethane emulsion not only have good wash resistance and stiffness, but also possess anti-shrinkage, anti-wrinkle properties and a good hand feel. When used in combination with polyacrylate, the effect is even better. For example, in cotton fabric finishing, using 50% polyurethane emulsion for impregnation, with a pressing rate of 80%, drying at 100°C for 3 minutes, and then heat treatment at 130°C for 3 minutes, the treated fabric is thicker, softer, more elastic, and the elongation recovery rate is significantly improved compared to the untreated fabric. The industrial production of knitted artificial fur has only a 50-year history and is an emerging category in textile products. Knitted artificial fur consists of a fleece layer and a base fabric layer. The fleece layer is divided into a wool strip feeding knitted artificial fur with single fiber feeding and a wool yarn feeding knitted plush fabric, and the base fabric layer is woven from long filaments or yarns, and is woven into loops with the fibers of the fleece layer through knitting needles. The fabric forms a V-shaped fleece structure through knitting. Due to the V-shaped arrangement of the fleece on the base fabric, single fibers are prone to detachment, and the base fabric has a large elasticity. Therefore, selecting an appropriate base fabric coating material is a key quality factor in the production of artificial fur. 02 As a coating agent for the base fabric of knitted artificial fur, polyurethane microemulsions have a particle size ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 μm. They are transparent or semi-transparent, and the coating quickly penetrates, with strong penetration ability. The strong polar amide groups in the polyurethane molecular structure can form hydrogen bonds with the smooth substrate material, enhancing the intramolecular force and improving the adhesion. The glass transition temperature of polyether-type polyurethane is lower than -40℃, and the fabric can still maintain a soft feel at this temperature. However, acrylic-coated fur base fabric gradually becomes harder at room temperature below 10℃. To address the common problems of excessive hair loss and hard texture of the base fabric in artificial fur, an anionic polyurethane microemulsion was developed and applied to the coating of artificial fur base fabric. This effectively reduced hair loss and improved the texture and other properties of the base fabric. 03 The application of water-based polyurethane finishing agent in the anti-wrinkle finishing of silk fabric reveals its optimal process conditions: double immersion and double rolling (immersion and rolling solution containing 7% water-based polyurethane, JF temperature 0.2°C, potassium sulfonate 0.5%, rolling liquid rate 85% - 90%) → pre-drying (80°C, 2 minutes) → baking (140°C, 3 minutes). The wet elastic recovery angle...
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