Castor oil (CAO) / 2,4-toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) / polyethylene glycols (PEG, 300, 600, 1000 and 2000 Da) adducts were prepared for finishing of cotton fabric. The obtained results revealed that the optimum conditions to prepare such adducts are reacting of equimolar ratio of PEG, TDI, and CAO at temperature of 100 οC/90 min. It is observed that only the adducts that based on PEGs 1000 and 2000 Da are self-dispersable and form stable oil in water emulsions. The FTIR spectra of the synthesized CAO/TDI/PEG1000 adduct confirms the chemical structure of that adduct while the TEM analysis clarified that its emulsion particles size ranges between 10 to 80 nm. Finishing of cotton fabric samples with bathes containing the produced CAO/TDI/PEG1000 or CAO/TDI/PEG2000 adducts emulsions leads to an enhancement in whiteness index, tensile work done, softness, and antibacterial properties parallel with a reduction in extents of the resiliency, wettability, in addition to the bending rigidity characteristics of treated fabric in a comparison to a control sample. Combining of such synthesized adducts emulsions with silver nano-particles in the finishing bathes significantly increases the antibacterial characteristics of the finished fabric. The treated fabric SEM as well as EDX images were investigated.



Key words: Castor oil; Polyethylene glycol; 2, 4-Toluene di-isocyanate; Textile softener; functional finishing