Preparation of polyethylene glycol/polyacrylamide adduct and utilization in cotton finishing

Highly concentrated aqueous solutions of acrylamide (Am) were polymerized in presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) using ammonium persulfate as initiator under different conditions including ammonium persulfate concentration (0.02–0.06 g/gAm) temperature (60–95 °C), Am/PEG400 ratio (1/1–1/5 g/g), PEG molecular weight (400–6000). At optimum reaction conditions a PEG 400/PAm adduct was prepared with a % total conversion of 99.7 in 2 min using ammonium persulfate (0.05 g/gAm), Am/PEG (1/2 g/g) at 70 °C. The structure of the adduct was confirmed by FT-IR spectra. The adduct was utilized as a finishing additive for cotton fabric in presence and absence of dimethyloldihydroxy ethylene urea (DMDHEU) by the bad – dry – cure method. In absence of DMDHEU, the adduct improves the fabric tensile strength, stiffness and oily stain release rating without affect the wettability along with decreasing the fabric resiliency compared to the blank sample. Inclusion DMDHEU the finishing bath (50 g/l) results in improving the fabric resiliency and stiffness as well as decreasing the strength, wettability and oily stain release compared to those of fabric treated with adduct in absence of DMDHEU. However, at an adduct concentration of 40 g/l and in presence of 50 g/l DMDHEU the fabric properties are in general, superior to those of blank fabric.