Modification of cellulosic fiber with polyurethane acrylate copolymers. Part I: Physicochemical properties.

Polyurethane (PU) prepolymers were prepared by using two different diisocyanates i.e., toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and or isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and poly (2-methyl-1,3-propylene glutarate), hydroxyl terminated group. PU prepolymer was reacted with 2-hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA) to form vinyl terminated PU prepolymer. Vinyl terminated PU prepolymers were further copolymerized with butyl acrylates (BuA) by emulsion process. The structure of proposed PUACs samples was confirmed by FT-IR, and their physicochemical properties were studied determining solid contents (%), emulsion stability and its appearance, tackiness and film appearance. Their acids and base chemical resistance was also studied and discussed. The synthesized PUACs samples were applied using dip-padding techniques on mill un-desized poly-cotton plain weave fabrics. The results emphasis that PUACs based on toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) have shown excellent performance against physical and chemical resistance as compared to isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) based PUACs, however vice versa results were found in some studies.