The document discusses moisture management and soil-release finishes for textiles, emphasizing their importance in enhancing comfort during wear by effectively transporting moisture and facilitating soil removal. It covers the mechanisms, chemistries, evaluation methods, and applications of these finishes, highlighting the challenges and future developments in textile technology. The paper asserts that moisture management finishes improve thermal regulation and comfort while soil-release finishes enable easier cleaning of fabrics.

1. 1
BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY
Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology
“Functional Finishing”
Title: Moisture management and Soil-release finishes
Prepared By:-Berihun Gashu (MSc in TC)
Under the guidance of:- Dr. Melkie G.
June 2021 G.C.

2. Contents
2
o Introduction
o Moisture management finish
 Requirements
 Mechanisms of moisture management
finish
 Chemistry of moisture management
finish
 Evaluation method moisture
management finish
 Application of moisture management
fabric
o Soil release finish
 Requirements
 Mechanisms of soil release
 Chemistry of soil-release finish
 Evaluation methods of soil-
release finish
 Application of soil-release
finish
o Future developments and
challenges
o Summery
o References

3. 3
 Moisture management is one of the key performance criteria of garments and is defined
as the ability of a garment to transport moisture away from the skin to the outer surface
of the garment, so as to make the wearer feel comfortable.
 In fact, if the moisture released from the skin is not efficiently transported to the
surrounding environment, it reduces comfort by generating a sensation of moisture that
causes the garment to feel sweaty and by reducing thermal insulation as water
condenses in fabric pores, producing cold sensations during wear.

4. 4
cont.…
 On the other hand, during their use, fabrics get soiled, i.e. smeared with dust or dirt, with
oil or grease, or both.
 Soiling occurs mainly by three types of mechanisms, namely mechanical adhesion,
adhesion by electrical forces and it can be by redeposition of soil during washing.
a) The mechanical adhesion of soil to the fabric by direct contact with a soiled surface or
by rubbing of construction facilitates such adhesion as the soil gets entrapped in
interfibre and interyarn spaces or even into the capillary spaces of the fiber where it
gets firmly deposited.

5. 5
cont.…
b) The second soiling mechanism is adhesion by electrical forces due to the attraction of
dust particles from the air by the electrically charged fiber surface. This phenomenon
occurs mainly with synthetic fibers because of their low moisture regain. Positively
charged fabric surfaces are soiled more than negatively charged surfaces.
c) Another possible means of soiling is through the redeposition of soils during washing
which occurs particularly with synthetic fabrics. The redeposition on these fibers takes
place because of their oleophilic nature.

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Moisture management finish

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Maintaining body heat under different environmental conditions is very essential for a fabric
which determines its comfort level.
It is understood to be the ability of a textile to absorb gaseous or liquid humidity from the
skin, to transport it to its outer surface and to release it into the surrounding air.
Liquid moisture transfer in clothing significantly influences the wearer ’ s perception of
moisture comfort sensations.
 A key cooling mechanism of the human body is sweating and evaporation.
Water vapor carries heat away from the body as it evaporates from the skin surface or the
fabric surface.
Introduction to moisture management

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 Optimum heat and moisture regulation
 Good air and water vapor permeability
 Rapid moisture absorption and transmission
capacity
 Absence of humidity
 Rapid drying to prevent catching cold
 Dimensionally stable even when wet
 Durable
 Breathability and comfort
 Easy care performance
 Lightweight
 A good moisture management fabric must have following positive characteristics:

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 The general concept of moisture management, which is critical to avoid such phenomena,
involves wicking of liquid moisture away from the skin to the outer surface of the textile where it
can evaporate, as well as fast drying of the fabric.
As the body produces heat during exercise, which would otherwise cause the core
temperature to rise above 37°C, the body tries to regulate the temperature via perspiration and
evaporative cooling.
Mechanisms of moisture management finish

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 For evaporative cooling to occur, the moisture must transport through the fabric. For any
garment to be comfortable during exercise where liquid sweat is produced, it must wick.
 Wicking simply means the capillary movement of moisture within a fabric structure. A certain
amount of liquid moisture or sweat will build up in any fabric that wicks. Thicker fabrics,
including traditional cotton fabrics, will absorb more liquid and this will be roughly proportional
to their thickness.
Conti…

11. 11
Conti…

12. 12
 A wide variety of chemistries can be used to modify the moisture management properties of
textiles.
Some of the chemistries can be applied, for example, to cotton or cotton blended fabrics,
without altering the basic comfort related properties, such as moisture vapor transport and air
permeability. These chemistries include fluoropolymers, silicones, waxes, etc.
Fluoropolymers can provide useful modifications to natural (untreated) cotton for certain end
uses.
Chemistry of moisture management finish

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 Hydrophilic silicones may be created using a variety of chemical approaches, such as:-
 Silicones with tertiary amino groups
Silicones with amino groups modified by acylation or alkylation
 Silicones with quaternary ammonium groups
 Polyether derivatives of silicone softeners
with polyglycol functionality
 Blends of aminosilicones and hydrophilic polymers.
Conti…

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Evaporation test method
Evaluation method moisture management finish
Water droplet test method
Wicking test method Spreading test method
Absorption test method
Drying time test method

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 Inner wears
 Athletic wear (active sportswear)
 Performance wear (climbing, walking)
 Comfort wear (nightwear)
 Military (multi-climate clothing)
 Health (hospital bed linens, wound dressings)
Agricultural technology
Technical solutions (protective clothing)
 Industrial (building, packaging)
 Upholstery (transport)
Application of moisture management fabric

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Soil release is a chemical finish that permits relatively easy removal of soils with ordinary
laundering.
The soil releasability characteristics of a given textile depend on the kind of fibers from
which it is made and the kind of finishing agent which has been applied to it.
 Natural fibers such as cotton and wool exhibit little soil repellency, but when they do become
soiled they are readily cleaned, as they exhibit a high level of soil releasability.
Some of the synthetics, notably polyester, exhibit not only a low level of soil repellency but
also a low level of soil releasability
Introduction to soil release finish

18. 18
Conti….
Thus, the trend towards fabricating textiles from blends of cotton or wool with polyester has
aggravated the situation, because such blends are easily soiled and the absorbed soil is difficult
to wash out.
Soil release finishes are therefore necessary because hydrophobic fabrics, including fabrics
treated with durable press finishes, have very low water absorbency.
 In these cases, soil release finishes accomplish the tasks of making the fibers more
absorbent (hydrophilic), thus permitting better wettability for improved soil removal.
It should be emphasized that, in contrast to soil repellent finishes, a soil release finish does
not prevent initial soiling but merely enables deposited dirt to be removed in laundering.

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It should not affect the fastness properties of dyed material
and
It should not affect physical properties such as strength, feel,
drape etc.,
It should not be fast to light,
It should be wash and laundering.
 Moisture regain
 Electrostatic charge
 Fabric Structure
 Particle size of Soil
Factors

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 Soil release finishes can facilitate removal of particulate soil by decreasing adhesion of the
soil particles and enhancing diffusion of water and detergent into the particle–fibre
interface.
 The detergency of particulate soil is not dominated by the hydrophilicity of the fibers but
depends on the location of the particles and their adhesion to the fiber surface.
 Among the mechanisms of soil removal from fabrics, solubilization and emulsification of
soils are controlled by detergent composition, hydrodynamic flow carrying away the
removed soil is controlled by washing machine design, and fiber flexing to force soil from
between fibers is controlled by fabric construction.
Mechanisms of soil release

21. 21
cont.….
1 . Adsorption of detergent and absorption of water leading to:
 Rollup of oily soil
 Penetration of soil–fibre interface by wash liquid
 Solubilisation and emulsification of soils.
2. Mechanical work leading to:
 Hydrodynamic flow carrying away the removed soil
 Fiber flexing to force soil from between fibers
 Surface abrasion to remove soil physically
 Swelling of finish to reduce inter-fiber spacing.

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soil release agents are sometimes incorporated into detergent products to enhance the
cleaning benefits through fabric surface modification.
Detergent delivered soil release primarily involves modification of low polarity surfaces with
a very thin layer of amphiphilic polymer molecules to increase surface polarity, thus increasing
lipid soil removal.
Making surfaces more polar aids soil removal through more complete roll up of oily soil,
penetration of the washing liquor between the soil and fiber surface, and reduction of the
wicking and spreading of the oily soil on the fabric.
Conti…

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1. Carboxy-based finishes
The composition of this finish is based acrylic and methacrylic acid and ester copolymers.
They are usually applied by padding in combination with DMDHEU cross linkers and provide
soil release by a finish swelling mechanism.
Methacrylic acid
Acrylic acid

24. Other carboxy polymers that have been used as soil-release finishes include
styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.
Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
Styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers 24

25. 25
Methyl cellulose
Hydroxypropyl starch
Hydrolyzed cellulose acetates
Hydroxyethyl cellulose
Hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose
In general these finishes are applied in combination with a binder or crosslinking agent to
improve their durability.

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This type of finish may contain actual polyethylene blocks or ethylene oxide reaction products
with acids, alcohols, amines, etc.
One important group of soil release agents for polyester fibers is based on condensation
copolymers of terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol.
Such copolymers have regions of hydrophilicity interspersed with hydrophobic regions that
have a strong attraction for the polyester surface.
They can provide extremely durable soil release properties for polyester fabrics and are
applied by exhaustion or by padding.

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These modified fluoropolymers are pad applied in combination with durable press crosslinking
agents to increase the durability of the finish.
These unique polymers have the unusual property of being hydrophobic and oleophobhic in air
and hydrophilic and oil-releasing during laundering process.
The hydrophilic blocks are shielded by the fluorocarbon segments when dry, presenting a
repellent surface.
After immersion in the wash bath, the hydrophilic blocks can swell and actually reverse the
interfacial characteristics of the surface, yielding the hydrophilic surface necessary for oily soil
release.

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Conti…

29. 29
Evaluation method of soil release
soil redeposition AATCC Test Method 151
The fabrics that are to be tested are exposed to a soiling medium
during a laundering simulation with a standard detergent.
The change in reflectance of the fabric before and after the testing
is an indication of the redeposition potential of the fabric.
Used to estimate the degree of
soil redeposition likely to occur
during laundering.
Oily soil-release testing AATCC Test Method 130
A measured amount of corn oil is placed on the fabric to be tested
and pressed into it with a specific force.
The soiled fabric is washed with a standard detergent under specific
conditions of water temperature and time in a specified washing
machine.
Specifies all the parameters that
influence soil-release of oily soils.
After tumble drying and
equilibration, the stained fabric is
compared to photographic
standards and rated accordingly.

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 High performance active apparel
 Work wear
 Military
 Uniform
Travel apparel
 Sportswear
Nurses scrubs

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developments in the field of moisture management fabrics with good wear comfort. For
example, the area of Nano fibers looks set to revolutionize the moisture management market.
development of fabrics which are able to respond to changes in the environment by
adjusting their pore size or thickness to allow moisture through.
developing new test methods for measuring the thermo-physiological wear comfort and
skin sensorial properties.

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Sometimes fabrics treated with a soil release finish become yellow after laundering.
Some soil release finishes give a harsh feel to the fabric, affect the durable press
characteristics, and are not effective for the life of the garment.
For the future, some manufacturers predict an inexpensive, one-process system that will
successfully apply soil release, durable press, antistatic and flame retardant finishes to fabrics
without affecting any of the desirable characteristics.
Another idea is a soil release chemical added to the final rinse water during home laundering.
Conti…

33. Due to different serviceability of textile products, finishing of textile fabric is developed
for specific purpose.
Textile finishing is carried out to increase the attractiveness and/or serviceability of
products.
Various finishing treatments are available to get different effects, which add value to the
basic textile material.
The moisture management control the body temperature by releasing and absorbing the
required amount of moistures.
On the other hand soil release finish can imparts the easy removal of dirt’s and soil
material from fabric during laundering.
33

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6.Khan, M. M. I. A. M. (2013). "Functional properties improvement and value addition to apparel by soil
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Reference
34

35. Cont..
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Suction.
11.Schindler, W. D. and P. J. Hauser (2004). Chemical finishing of textiles, Elsevier.
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36. Thank You for
your
kind attention!
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