Introducing Propionate and 2-Dimethylammonium Chloride Ethyl Substituents onto Cornstarch for Acquiring Good Film Properties and Easy Desizing from Sized Warps

• Published in: Fibers and polymers 2024-03, Vol.25 (3), p.775-783
• Main Authors: Li, Wei, Wu, Yujie, Zhang, Yue, Zhang, Xun, Wang, Yingfeng, Yan, Hongqin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Bend strength; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cotton; Degree of crystallinity; Desizing; Electron microscopes; Elongation; Endurance; Fourier transforms; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectroscopy; Oxidizing agents; Polymer Sciences; Regular Article; Scanning electron microscopy; Tensile strength; X ray spectrometers
• ISSN: 1229-9197; 1875-0052
• DOI: 10.1007/s12221-024-00476-w

A series of propionylated and tertiary aminated starch (PTAS) samples were prepared via the propionylation of acid-thinned starch (ATS) and further tertiary amination in aqueous medium to impart the starch with strong film properties and easy desizing in the warp sizing field. The PTAS samples were characterized by the analyses of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Their film properties were investigated in terms of tensile strength, breaking elongation, bending endurance, and degree of crystallinity in comparison with the control ATS film. The desizability of PTAS was evaluated by measuring its desizing efficiency. The FTIR analysis confirmed the successful preparation of PTAS, SEM analysis revealed that the modifications caused some damage to the granule surfaces, and EDS analysis ascertained that the 2–dimethylaminoethyl groups had been converted into cationic DACE groups. The PTAS (with a total degree of substitution (DS) range of 0.040–0.065) films exhibited higher breaking elongation and bending endurance as well as lower tensile strength than the ATS film, which revealed that the propionylation/tertiary amination could diminish the film brittleness of starch, imparting the starch film with stronger extensibility and flexibility. With the rise in the total DS, gradually increased film elongation and endurance and consistently decreased film strength were displayed. The desizing efficiencies of the PTAS samples exceeded 90% using an oxidant method, which confirmed that the PTAS possessed good desizability and easy desizing from sized cotton warps.