Synthesis and application of silicone-modified polyurethane as a slip-elastic finishing agent for polyamide fabrics

Despite the wide application of polyamide in clothing and home textiles, its inherent stiffness hardly meets consumers' preference for a smooth and elastic hand feel. In this study, a new hydroxyl silane coupling agent (KHS), 1-(4-(4-(4-(trimethoxysilyl)butyl)piperazin-1-yl)-3-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propoxy) propan-2-ol, was synthesized and used to prepare a series of silicone-modified polyurethane (KHS-PU). KHS-PU then was finished onto the polyamide fabric via a pad-dry-cure procedure. The finishing process was optimized using the Minitab software. The morphology and elemental distribution of KHS-PU finished polyamide fabric were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), respectively. The hand evaluation tests demonstrated that KHS-PU not only significantly enhanced the fabric's smooth and elastic properties, specifically evidenced by a 23 % reduction in surface friction coefficient, a 13 % decrease in bending average stiffness, a 10 % reduction in compression work, and a 40 % increase in compression recovery rate, but also exhibited good wash durability. In addition, the thermal and mechanical properties of KHS-PU finished fabric were further investigated. This work provides a valuable contribution to the field of surface science and textile engineering, offering insights into advanced fabric finishing techniques.