Synthesis and characterization of non-fluorinated copolymer emulsions for hydrophobic finishing of cotton textiles

Abstract

Non-flouro copolymers containing a hydrophobic alkyl acrylate monomer (butyl acrylate/2-ethylhexyl acrylate/ lauryl acrylate) and a reactive monomer (maleic anhydride) have been synthesized using emulsion polymerization technique. The copolymer emulsions have been applied on to cotton fabric by a pad-dry-cure process and the water repellency of the fabrics before and after vigorous washes compared. The effect of chain length of hydrophobic monomer on the water repellency has been compared and the comfort properties of the coated fabrics such as air permeability and bending length evaluated. It is observed that the copolymers prepared using long alkyl chain acrylates show promising alternatives to the repellent agents based on perfluoroalkyl chains for water repellency.