Preparation of Hydrophilic and Shrink-Proofing Wool Fabrics Through Thiol-Ene Click Chemistry Reaction

To improve shrink-proofing performance and hydrophilicity of wool fabrics, the wool fibers were modified by poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate(PEGDMA) through thiol-ene click chemistry reaction. Firstly, wool fabrics were reduced at room temperature with a high-efficiency disulfide bond reducing agent, tris(2-carbonxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride(TCEP). Then the thiol-ene click chemistry reaction was initiated by dimethyl 2, 2’-azobis(2-methylpropionate)(AIBME) through the heating method. Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy test results all showed that PEGDMA was successfully grafted onto wool fabric surface. Physical properties, hydrophilicity, and shrink-proofing performance were assessed. The wetting time of PEGDMA grafted wool fabrics decreased to about 3 s. After being grafted with PEGDMA, the felting shrinkage of wool fabrics rapidly decreased to about 8%. The anti-pilling properties of wool fabrics were also greatly improved to 5 class after 2 000 times of friction. Meanwhile, the load retention rate of fabrics could reach 90%. It provides a method of wool modification to improve hydrophilicity and anti-felting performance.