As a key auxiliary agent for textile finishing, softeners improve the feel of fabrics and enhance wearing comfort by adsorbing on the fiber surface. Among many softeners, silicone softeners have become the market leader with their excellent performance and wide application fields.
Silicone softeners are mainly composed of polysiloxane and its derivatives, and exist in the form of emulsions or microemulsions. This type of softener not only gives fabrics a soft and smooth feel, but also enhances the gloss, wear resistance, elasticity of fabrics, and has anti-fouling and anti-wrinkle properties. In addition, silicone softeners are non-toxic and environmentally friendly, with moderate costs, so they are widely used in many industries such as textiles, leather, and papermaking.
Silicone softeners can be divided into three categories according to their chemical composition and reactivity: inactive, active, and modified.
1 Inactive silicone softeners
Inactive silicone softeners, represented by dimethyl silicone oil (DMPS), are also called polydimethylsiloxane. Although this type of softener can give fabrics softness and heat resistance, due to its low degree of polymerization, it cannot cross-link and has no chemical reaction with the fiber, so the finished fabric has poor hand feel, fastness and elasticity. Inactive silicone softeners need to be made into emulsions before use to increase washability. This type of softener is considered the first generation of silicone softeners, such as Dow Corning 36, 37, etc.
2 Active silicone softeners
Active silicone softeners are hydrophilic by introducing hydroxyl groups (-OH) at both ends of linear dimethyl polysiloxane. The emulsion made of this type of softener, namely silicone hydroxy emulsion, can be used alone or cross-linked with other silicones to form a water-insoluble molecular film on the fiber, thereby giving the fabric waterproof and washable properties. As the second generation of silicone softeners, active silicone softeners have a wide variety of products, such as Dow Corning 1111, Ultratex FSA of Ciba Geigy of Switzerland, etc. According to the different surfactants, they can be divided into cationic, anionic, nonionic and composite ionic types, which can be selected according to the type of fabric.
3 Modified silicone softener
Modified silicone softener, by introducing other active groups on the silicone molecular chain, gives fabrics special functions, such as antistatic, anti-oil and hydrophilicity. This type of softener can not only improve fabric performance, but also make chemical fiber fabrics have the advantages of natural fabrics, becoming a third-generation silicone softening finishing agent with special functions. Modified silicone softener has a wider range of applications and is suitable for finishing of various high-end fabrics.
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