Dialdehydes as Cotton Cellulose Cross-Linkers1

Abstract

Formaldehyde, when applied with acid catalysis, is the most effective cellulose cross linker available in that it produces the most crushproofing on a weight basis. However, formalization is accompanied by high strength loss in cotton. It has been postulated that the unfavorable crease recovery-strength relationship with formaldehyde is a function of the shortness of the acetal cross-link. It has also been postulated, naively, that longer cross-links could be derived from long chain dialdehydes, the crease recovery-strength relationship improving with increasing chain length. Work with the dialdehydes glyoxal (C₂). glutaraldehyde (C₅). and α-hydroxy adipaldehyde (C₆) yielded crease recovery-strength relationships similar, if not identical. to formaldehyde. This tinding is consistent with the known chemistry of the formalde hyde-cellulose reaction in that the acetal linkage controls the length of the cross-link.