TREATMENT OF FIBER STRUCTURE

摘要

PURPOSE:To promote the reaction of a polymer and a compound using minimum amount of water necessary for the processing treatment by impregnating a fiber with a compound reactive with the fiber constituting polymer, laminating with a hydrated polymer gel sheet capable of reversibly sucking and releasing water by temperature change and heating the laminate at a temperature above the phase-transition temperature of said gel. CONSTITUTION:For example, in the thinning processing of a polyester fiber with sodium hydroxide or cotton fiber with cellulase, the fiber is impregnated with the compound reactive with the fiber constituting polymer and subjected e.g. to intermediate drying. The treated fiber is laminated with a hydrated polymer gel sheet capable of reversibly sucking and releasing water by temperature change (e.g. crosslinked gel of polyvinyl methyl ether) and the laminate is sealed, heated at a temperature above the phasetransition temperature of the polymer gel and maintained at the temperature. Water is released from the gel by this treatment to promote the reaction of the polymer and the compound in moistened state. The use of the gel is effective in preventing the waste of large amount of water in contrast to conventional process and enables the supply of necessary minimum amount of water in high efficiency to perform an energy-saving processing of the fiber.