Effect of Boric Acid and BTCA on Tensile Strength Loss of Finished Cotton Fabrics

Several polycarboxylic acids have been studied as durable press finishing agents for cotton fabrics. The most effective is 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). One of the drawbacks of this crosslinking is the severe loss of mechanical strength of the treated fabrics, which is responsible for the reduced durability of finished cotton garments. In this research, boric acid mixed with BTCA is considered as a remedy for this problem. Fourier transform infrared spectra, tensile tests, and crease recovery angle (CRA) measurements are used to investigate the effects of the treatment. The results reveal that if cotton fabrics are treated with the combination of BTCA and boric acid, they show high CRA values at a low curing temperature. In the presence of sodium hypophosphite as a catalyst, higher CRA values may be obtained, although at higher curing temperatures. Interestingly, adding boric acid to BTCA in the right proportions leads to almost complete retention of the mechanical strength originally present in the untreated cotton.