Chemical finishing of textiles explained

Chemical finishing of textiles refers to the process of applying and treating textiles with a variety of chemicals in order to achieve desired functional and aesthetic properties. Chemical finishing of textiles is a part of the textile finishing process where the emphasis is on chemical substances instead of mechanical finishing. Chemical finishing in textiles also known as wet finishing. Chemical finishing adds properties to the treated textiles. Softening of textiles, durable water repellancy and wrinkle free fabric finishes are examples of chemical finishing.^{[1] [2]}

Finish

Textile finishing is the process of converting the loom state or raw goods into a useful product, which can be done mechanically or chemically. Finishing is a broad term that refers to a variety of physical and chemical techniques and treatments that finish one stage of textile production while also preparing for the next. Textile finishing can include aspects like improving surface feel, aesthetic enhancement, and adding advanced chemical finishes.^[3] A finish is any process that transforms unfinished products into finished products.^[4] This includes mechanical finishing and chemical applications which alter the composition of treated textiles (fiber, yarn or fabric.)

Mechanical finishes

Mechanical finish refers to machine finishes such as embossing, heat setting, Sanforizing, shearing, luster imparting, surface finishes, and glaze finishes.^[5]

Mechanical finishes^[6] !Raised surface finishes!Luster imparting!Glaze and design

Gigging	Calendering	Embossing
Napping	Beetling	Moire
Sueding
Flocking

Chemical finishes

Chemical finishes are chemicals that may alter the properties of the treated fabrics. Finishes may vary from aesthetic to special purposes.^[7] Examples of chemical finishes are:

• Fabric softeners impart soft hand feel to the treated fabrics.
• Silk surfacing a surface finishing of cotton to obtain an appearance similar to silk.^[8]
• Plissé is chemical finish in which the fabrics are treated with sodium hydroxide to obtain a puckering effect.^[9]
• Deweighting, or weight reduction, is a treatment for polyester to make it like silk. The treatment peels the surface and reduces the fiber weight and strength while making them softer and finer. Additionally, the treatment enhances the absorbency of the treated substrates.^[10]

Purpose

Finishing makes the textiles attractive and more useful.^[11] The finishing process adds essential properties to the treated textiles and enhances the serviceability of the products.

Serviceability in textiles includes aesthetics, comfort, durability, care and protection attributes.^[12]

Performance chemical finishes

"Special purpose finishes" or ''performance finishes'' improve the performance of textiles for a specific end-use.^[13] Performance finishes are not a new concept; oilcloth is the first known coated fabric. Boiled linseed oil is used to make oilcloth. Boiled oils have been used from the year 200 AD.^[14] Performance finishing contributes to a variety of areas. The following are some examples of special-purpose finishes:

• Flame retardant finishes based on inorganic, organophosphorus, halogenated organic and nitrogen-based compounds make the treated fabric fire retarding; i.e., the fabric inhibits or suppresses the combustion process to improve safety.^{[15] [16]}
• Durable water repellent finishes provide water repellancy to the treated fabrics.^[17]
• Wrinkle-resistant fabrics are treated fabrics with wrinkle-free finishes.^[18]
• In manufacturing of pristine clothes.^[19]
• Self cleaning fabrics with lotus effect.
• Medical textiles are endowed with protecting properties such as body fluid resistance and an antimicrobial surface for use in personal protective equipment including aprons, coverall and gowns for healthcare workers treating infectious diseases such as COVID-19.^{[20] [21] [22]}
• Coated fabrics are used for transportation, industrial application, geotextile, and military use.^[23]

Application

Chemical finishes can be applied in three different ways: exhaust applications, coating, and padding.

Coating

The coating is an application of chemical substances on the surface of fabric that is to be made functional or decorative.^[24] Coating is attained by applying a thin layer of a functional chemical, compound, or polymer on the substrate's surface. Coatings use less material than other types of applications, such as exhaust or padding.^[25]

Nanomaterials

Advances in chemical finishes include application of nanomaterials.^[26]

Chemical hazards

Certain chemical finishes contain potential hazards to health and the environment. Perfluorinated acids are considered to be hazardous to human health by the US Environmental Protection Agency.^[27]

!Name of the substance!Advantage in textile products!Associated health risks and environmental impacts!References

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)	Hydrophobic effect	Endocrine disruptor	^[28] ^[29]
Fluorocarbon (PFC)	Hydrophobic effect	May cause respiratory illness
Bromine	Brominated flame retardant	Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances may cause neurobehavioral disorders and endocrine disruption	^[30]
Silver, silver nanoparticle	Antimicrobial resistance	Environmental impact of silver nanoparticles and toxic effects on human health	^[31] ^[32]

See also

• Wet process engineering
• Performance (textiles)

Notes and References

1. Book: Schindler. W. D.. Chemical Finishing of Textiles. Hauser. P. J.. 2004-08-10. Elsevier. 978-1-84569-037-3. 1–20. en.
2. Book: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081006467000060. Softening. 2017-01-01. Woodhead Publishing. 10.1016/B978-0-08-100646-7.00006-0. 978-0-08-100646-7. en. Principles of Textile Finishing. Roy Choudhury. Asim Kumar. 109–148.
3. Book: Choudhury, Asim Kumar Roy. Principles of Textile Finishing. 2017-04-29. Woodhead Publishing. 978-0-08-100661-0. 1–10. en.
4. Book: Hollen. Norma R.. Textiles. Hollen. Norma R. Textiles. 1988. New York : Macmillan. Internet Archive. 978-0-02-367530-0. 2.
5. Book: Schindler. W. D.. Chemical Finishing of Textiles. Hauser. P. J.. 2004-08-10. Elsevier. 978-1-84569-037-3. 1, 2. en.
6. Book: Joseph, Marjory L.. Joseph's introductory textile science. 1992. Fort Worth : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Internet Archive. 978-0-03-050723-6. 337, 338, 339, 340.
7. Book: Kadolph, Sara J.. Textiles. 1998. Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Merrill. Internet Archive. 978-0-13-494592-7. 285, 300–316.
8. Book: Nystrom, Paul Henry . Textiles . 1916 . D. Appleton . 228 . en.
9. Book: Tortora . Phyllis G. . The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Textiles . Johnson . Ingrid . 2013-09-17 . A&C Black . 978-1-60901-535-0 . 465 . en.
10. Book: Kolanjikombil, Mathews . Pretreatment of Textile Substrates . 2019 . Woodhead Publishing India . 978-93-85059-99-5 . 116, 117 . en.
11. Book: Agricultural Leaders' Digest. 1940. American Agricultural Services. 32. en.
12. Book: Kadolph, Sara J.. Textiles. 1998. Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Merrill. Internet Archive. 978-0-13-494592-7.
13. Book: Kadolph, Sara J. . Textiles . 1998 . Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Merrill . Internet Archive . 978-0-13-494592-7.
14. Web site: 2013-05-30. MoreInfo-Staining and Finishing for Muzzeloading Gun Builders - Methods and Materials 1750-1850. https://web.archive.org/web/20130530042026/http://www.thealchemist.us/alchemist1_005.htm. 2013-05-30. 2021-08-08.
15. Book: Lacasse. K. (Katia). Textile chemicals [electronic resource] : environmental data and facts]. Baumann. W. (Werner). 2004. Berlin ; New York : Springer. 978-3-642-18898-5. 425, 426.
16. Book: handbook_of_technical_textile_. 164–167. English.
17. Book: Williams, John T.. Waterproof and Water Repellent Textiles and Clothing. 2017-11-21. Woodhead Publishing. 978-0-08-101134-8. 165. en.
18. Web site: Creating 'greener' wrinkle-resistant cotton fabric. 2021-07-24. American Chemical Society. en.
19. Web site: 2015-01-21. Lasers help create water-repelling, light-absorbing, self-cleaning metals. 2021-08-08. New Atlas. en-US.
20. Karim1. Nazmul1. Afroj. Shaila. Lloyd. Kate. Oaten. Laura Clarke. Andreeva. Daria V.. Carr. Chris. Farmery. Andrew D.. Kim. Il-Doo. Novoselov. Kostya S.. 2020. Sustainable Personal Protective Clothing for Healthcare Applications: A Review. ACS Nano. 14. 10. 12313–12340. 10.1021/acsnano.0c05537. 1936-0851. 7518242. 32866368.
21. Book: Dehghani. Mohammad Hadi. Environmental and Health Management of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Karri. Rama. Roy. Sharmili. 2021-06-26. Academic Press. 978-0-323-90924-2. 200. en.
22. Galante. Anthony J.. Haghanifar. Sajad. Romanowski. Eric G.. Shanks. Robert M. Q.. Leu. Paul W.. 2020-05-13. Superhemophobic and Antivirofouling Coating for Mechanically Durable and Wash-Stable Medical Textiles. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 12. 19. 22120–22128. 10.1021/acsami.9b23058. 1944-8244. 32320200. 216084757.
23. Book: Fung, W.. Coated and Laminated Textiles. 2002-05-23. Woodhead Publishing. 978-1-85573-576-7. 9, 247. en.
24. Web site: Surface coating chemistry. 2021-08-08. Encyclopedia Britannica. en.
25. Web site: Using Liquid Finishes to Create Nanofabrics. 2021-08-08. www.asme.org. en.
26. Book: Shahid. Mohammad. Advances in Functional Finishing of Textiles. Adivarekar. Ravindra. 2020-06-10. Springer Nature. 978-981-15-3669-4. 43. en.
27. Web site: US EPA. OCSPP. 2015-04-29. Chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 2021-07-24. www.epa.gov. en.
28. Betts. Kellyn S.. 2007. PERFLUOROALKYL ACIDS: What Is the Evidence Telling Us?. Environmental Health Perspectives. 115. 5. A250–A256. 10.1289/ehp.115-a250. 0091-6765. 1867999. 17520044.
29. Web site: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): 1. What is PFOA and what is it used for?. 2021-07-01. www.greenfacts.org. 2021-07-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182349/https://www.greenfacts.org/en/pfoa-cookware-waterproofing/l-2/index.htm. live.
30. Web site: Brominated Flame retardants in the Environment. live. 2021-07-01. 2021-07-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181419/https://www.cerc.usgs.gov/pubs/center/pdfdocs/pbde.pdf.
31. Ermini. Maria Laura. Voliani. Valerio. 2021-04-27. Antimicrobial Nano-Agents: The Copper Age. ACS Nano. 15. 4. 6008–6029. 10.1021/acsnano.0c10756. 1936-0851. 8155324. 33792292.
32. AshaRani. P. V.. Low Kah Mun. Grace. Hande. Manoor Prakash. Valiyaveettil. Suresh. 2009-02-24. Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Human Cells. ACS Nano. 3. 2. 279–290. 10.1021/nn800596w. 19236062. 1936-0851.