The Chemistry of Crease-resist Crosslinking Agents

The creasing of cellulosic fabrics depends on the structural characteristics of the fibres. The hydroxyl groups of the cellulose molecules are centres of intermolecular forces and provide the tendency to crease. By finishing the fabrics with crosslinking agents these disadvantages can be reduced. This review discusses the most important textile finishing agents with sufficient reactivities which are the N-hydroxymethyl and N-alkoxymethyl compounds of urea, cyclic ureas, carbamates and aminotriazines. Also provided is a section on other finishing agents with other crosslinking agents