Washing Durability of Cotton Coated with a Fluorinated Resin: An AFM, XPS, and Low Frequency Mechanical Spectroscopy Study

Abstract

The evolution, during laundering, of mechanical, chemical, and morphological prop erties of cellulose fibers covered with a fluorocarbon resin is studied using a combination of low frequency mechanical spectroscopy (LFMS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). From this study of the roughness and surface composition of the film covering cellulose fibers, new explanations are proposed for the decrease in water and oil repellency with washing, and its partial recovery with subsequent heat treatment such as ironing. The observed phenomena involve de-wetting and re wetting of the fluorinated polymer on the cellulose surfaces, inducing a modification of adhesion mechanisms between the fluorocarbon polymer and the cellulose fibers and the formation and/or destruction of fluorinated polymer bridges (matrix or ligand effect) between the fibers.