Chemical fiber fabrics are often used in sportswear due to their high elasticity and wear resistance. However, they have poor moisture absorption, making them prone to sweating and airtightness. They are also easily stained during wear and difficult to clean. To ensure that chemical fiber fabrics meet the performance requirements of sportswear fabrics, they need to be hydrophilic modified.
Hydrophilicity refers to a fiber's ability to absorb moisture. To improve fabric comfort under mixed heat conditions, the relative humidity between the fabric and the skin needs to be relatively low. This requires the fiber material to absorb a large amount of water vapor and absorb it quickly. This is especially true in conditions of heavy sweating, where high moisture and water absorption are crucial. This allows the fiber to quickly release sweat to the outside world, minimizing the feeling of stuffiness. There are various technologies for hydrophilic modification of chemical fiber fabrics, but the main methods can be categorized into three categories: fiber/fabric structure modification, finishing with non-silicone hydrophilic additives, and finishing with silicone hydrophilic finishing agents.
One. Fiber/fabric structure modification
In terms of fibers, we mainly use differentiated fibers to make chemical fiber fabrics have certain hydrophilic properties. For example, we use chemical fiber filaments with triangular, cross-shaped, straight and wavy cross-sections as core yarns to prepare hydrophilic chemical fiber fabrics.
In terms of fabric structure, different structures or yarns of different properties are mainly configured on both sides of the fabric to form a wettability gradient and differential capillary effect on both sides of the chemical fiber fabric.
Two. Non-silicone hydrophilic additive finishing
Moisture absorbers improve moisture absorption and quick-drying properties through physical adsorption or chemical grafting of hydrophilic groups (such as polyether and carboxyl groups). Some products contain special bulking ingredients. They are suitable for applications where silicone residue must be avoided or specific functionalities are desired.
Three. Silicone hydrophilic finishing agent finishing
Silicone hydrophilic finishing agents, by modifying the silicone structure (such as polyether blocks), form a hydrophilic film on the fabric surface, combining moisture absorption, antistatic properties, and washability.
Previously, amino silicone oil emulsions were the primary textile finishing agents commonly used in the market. These were prone to demulsification and yellowing, resulting in fabrics that were hydrophobic and non-absorbent, significantly impacting fabric comfort.
Furthermore, the product requires emulsification with an emulsifier before use, which increases production costs. In recent years, modified silicone fluids, such as amino polyethers, hydrophilic silicones, and epoxy/polyether silicones, have been predominantly used.
Silicone fluids offer excellent high and low temperature resistance, low surface energy, and physiological inertness. Fabrics treated with silicones are water-repellent, smooth, and soft. However, silicone fabric finishing agents have drawbacks such as low adhesion to fabrics, low mechanical strength, poor washability, and a relatively high price.
The ideal hydrophilic softener structure generally consists of two parts. The first is the hydrophilic part, which is generally required to be wash-resistant, have a long-lasting hydrophilic effect, enable water to diffuse rapidly across the fabric surface, and be chemically stable. Examples include polyether compounds or ionic surfactants. The second is the fixative part, which is generally required to form a soft film.
Monofunctional modified silicone oils often don't produce the best finishing effects. For example, while fabrics treated with amino-modified silicone oils offer excellent softness and smoothness, they also suffer from low whiteness, yellowing, and poor hygroscopicity. Fabrics treated with polyether-modified silicone oils, on the other hand, exhibit excellent water absorption and antistatic properties, overcoming the drawbacks of static electricity, dust absorption, and heat retention during wear. However, these oils suffer from poor softness and smoothness. Therefore, to achieve a comprehensive finishing effect, different monofunctional modified silicone oils are often blended together. However, these blends often suffer from inconsistent quality and difficulty maintaining a long-lasting finishing effect. Consequently, the development of bifunctional modified silicone oils has become a current research hotspot.
