Effect of glycols and catalysts on cotton fabrics treated with glyoxal

The optimum conditions for durable press treatment of cotton fabrics using glyoxal as a nonformaldehyde crosslinking agent were investigated. Crosslinking reaction was conducted in the presence of different catalysts such as aluminum sulfate, magnesium chloride, or magnesium chloride-citric acid mixture at various mole ratios of catalyst to glyoxal. Aluminum sulfate was proven the most effective one among those used. Glycol addition into a glyoxal padding bath increased the wrinkle recovery angle(WRA) and whiteness of treated fabrics. The optimum mole ratio of glycol to glyoxal was 1:1. Diethylene glycol addition produced better overall performance to the glyoxal-crosslinked fabric compared to ethylene glycol addition.