Creaseproofing treatment of fabrics

摘要

Cellulosic fabrics are treated with an aqueous solution of a maleic acid/anhydride oligomer/polymer (OMA) to improve crease resistance. The treatment does not involve the use of any materials containing formaldehyde or which liberate formaldehyde during processing or subsequent use. Preferred OMAs have molecular weights from 300 to 100000, particularly 300 to 2000. Treatment is usually carried out in conjunction with an esterification catalyst that promotes curing of the OMA onto the cellulosic fabric, which can be wholly cellulosic or a blend, e.g. particularly with polyesters, especially polyethylene terephthalate.