CHEMISTRY OF TEXTILE

FIBRES & THEIR PROPERTIES

M.P.ASIRI VIDUL
NIC# 902451218V

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 Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Classification of Polymers............................................................................................................................4
Condensation Polymers...............................................................................................................................5
Classification of Fibres.................................................................................................................................6
Types of Intermolecular Attractive Forces...................................................................................................7
Cotton......................................................................................................................................................8-7
Silk and Wool Proteins...........................................................................................................................10-9
Viscose Rayon........................................................................................................................................10-11
Cellulose Acetate...................................................................................................................................12-13
Polyester............................................................................................................................................153-14
nylons..........................................................................................................................................................14
Nylon 6.6.................................................................................................................................................15
Nylon 6.8.................................................................................................................................................16
Nylon 6.10.............................................................................................................................................17
Polyvinyl chloride......................................................................................................................................18
Polypropylene......................................................................................................................................19-20
Polystyrene................................................................................................................................................20
Polyacrylonitrile...................................................................................................................................21-22

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Introduction

All textile fibres (natural and man-made) are made out of Polymers. A
polymer is a chemical species of very high molecular weight that is made up of many
repeating units of low molecular weight. The compound used to make the polymer is
called a Monomer. The smallest unit which reacts again and again with itself to give the
macro molecule is called the Repeating Unit. The process where by a large number of
monomers combine together to form a macro molecule is called Polymerization.

For example if we take Ethylene

Monomer

Repeating Unit

Polymer (Polythene)

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Classification of Polymers

Polymers can be classified in to two considering the type of reaction

used for polymerization.

1. Addition Polymers
2. Condensation Polymers

Addition Polymers

An addition polymer is a polymer formed by linking together many

molecules by addition reactions. Several monomers add on to each other to form a
polymer without eliminating any molecules. The monomers must have multiple bonds
that will undergo addition reactions. In addition reactions the π-bonds in the monomer
brakes and forms σ-bonds with other molecules.

For example if we take vinyl chloride

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Condensation Polymers

A condensation polymer is a polymer formed by linking together many

molecules by condensation reaction. Condensation reaction occurs in the functional
groups of the monomers. In this reaction a small molecule such as H 2O or HCl is
eliminated and a new bond is formed with other monomers.

Example for a condensation polymer

-H2O

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 Textile Fibres
Classification of Fibres

Natural Fibres Man-made Fibres

Organic Inorganic

Quarts

Vegetable Animal Natural Polymers Synthetics

Seed Stem Leaf Fruit

Cotton Flax Sisal Coconut

Kapok Hemp Manila
Jute Pineapple Wool Hair Silk
rts Ramie
Alpaca
Camel
Goat
Rabbit
Horse

Cellulose Rayon Cellulose Esters Protein Polyamides Polyester Polyvinyl Polypropylene

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Types of Intermolecular Attractive Forces

Cotton

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 Cotton is the most important fibre to the textile industry. It is also natures
most abundant polymer. Fabric from cotton are comfortable to wear and they can be
dyed in wide range of colours. Each cotton is an elongated cell. The mature fibre is
actually a dead hollow cell wall composed of almost entirely (90%) of cellulose. The
structure of the cellulose is as below.

Monomer

Repeating unit

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Polymer

Cellulose is made
up condensation polymerization of glucose. The bonds which are present in this polymer
are Covalent bond, van der waal forces and dipolar-dipolar attraction. The present of
oxygen and hydrogen also forms hydrogen bonds.

Cotton Fibre Properties

 Moisture regain/ absorption - high moisture regain, absorb water molecules into
amorphous region due to OH hydrophilic groups. Cotton has a regain about 8.5%.
cotton is stronger when wet than dry.
 Resistance to micro organism – cotton supports mildew or bacteria formation than
nylon fibre.
 Resistance to acid – weakened and destroys by acids.
Concentrated cold or diluted mineral acids like H2SO4 will damage cotton.
 Resistance to heat – Cotton has the ability to withstand moderate heat. But extreme heat
will cause cotton goods burnt.
 Comfort – very comfort to wear than nylon because of its moisture regain property.
 Elasticity – relatively inelastic due to crystalline and hydrogen bonds.
 Resistance to alkaline – cotton has a resistance to alkaline. Alkali does not harm cotton
fibre.. Strong alkali solution (NaOH) improves the qualities of cotton fibre. The treatment of
cotton fibre with sodium hydroxide & lustrous
 Durability – durable and unaffected by laundering.

Silk and Wool Proteins

Silk and Wool is a natural protein fibre which consist of Amino Acids

Monomer

H H O
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H N C C OH
R
Repeating Unit

H H O H H O
N C C N C C
R R
Polymer

H H O H H O H H O H H O
N C C N C C N C C N C C
R R R R n

Proteins are made up of condensation polymerization Amino Acids. The

bonds which are present in this polymer are Covalent bond, van der waal forces and
dipolar-dipolar attractions. The present of nitrogen and hydrogen also forms hydrogen
bonds.

Wool Fibre Properties

 Length: fine wool are about 1 ½ - 5 inches. Long wools are about 5-15 inches.
 Appearance: wool is a roughly oval in cross-section.
 Tensile strength: wool has a tenacity of 1-1.7 g/denier.
 Elongation: wool has an elongation at break of 25-35% under standard
conditions.
 Elasticity: wool is unusually resilience. It has an elastic recovery of 99%.

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 Effect of moisture: wool absorbs moisture to a great extent. Moisture
regain is about 16-18%.

Silk Fibre Properties

 Length: silk filament may be as much as one mile in length.

 Tensile strength: strong fibre.
 Tenacity: 3.5-5 g/denier
 Elongation: elongation at break 20-25%
 Elasticity: elastic recovery of silk is not good as wool, but better than cotton.
 Effects of moisture: like wool, silk absorbs moisture. Moisture regain is 11%

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Viscose Rayon

Viscous Rayon is produced by cellulose which comes from wood. Cellulose is

purified and is treated with caustic soda which is converted into alkali cellulose. It is
then treated with carbon disulfide which converts it into sodium cellulose Xanthate. In
this polymer covalent bond, van der waal forces and ironic bonds are present.

NaOH +

Sodium Cellulose Xanthate CS2

Viscose Rayon Fibre

Properties

Moisture Absorption:It absorbs more moisture than cotton. Moisture Content of Coton
is 6% at 70 deg F and 65% RH, and for Viscose Rayon it is 13% under the same
conditions. 

Tensile Strength :The Tensile Strength of the fibre is less when the fibre is wet than
when dry. It is 1.5-2.4 in the dry state and 0.7-1.2 in the wet state. For high tenacity
variety the values are 3-4.6 and 1.9 to 3.0

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Elasticity:The elasticity of Viscose Rayon is less than 2-3%. This is very important in
handling viscose yarns during weaving, stentering etc when sudden tensions are
applied.

Elongation at Break:Ordinary Viscose rayon has 15-30% elongation at break, whule high
tenacity rayon has only 9-17% elongation at break. 

Density:The density of Viscose rayon is 1.53 g/cc. Rayon filaments are available in three
densities: 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5

Action of Heat and Light:At 300 deg For more, VR loses its strength and begins to
decompose at 350-400 deg F. Prolonged exposure to sunlight also weakens the fibre due
to moisture and ultraviolet light of the sunlight.

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Cellulose Acetate

Cellulose acetate polymer is formed with covalent bonds and van der waal forces.

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Cellulose Acetate Fibre Properties

 Hand: soft, smooth, dry, crisp, resilient

 Comfort: breathes, wicks, dries quickly, no static cling
 Drape: linings move with the body linings conform to the garment
 Color: deep brilliant shades with atmospheric dyeing meet colorfastness
requirements
 Luster: light reflection creates a signature appearance
 Performance: colorfast to perspiration staining, colorfast to dry cleaning, air and
vapor permeable
 Tenacity: weak fiber with breaking tenacity of 1.2 to 1.4 g/denier; rapidly loses
strength when wet; must be dry cleaned.
 Abrasion: poor resistance

 Heat retention: poor thermal retention; no allergenic potential (hypoallergenic)

 Dye ability: (two methods) cross-dying method where yarns of one fiber and
those of another fiber are woven into a fabric in a desired pattern; solution-dying
method provides excellent color fastness under the effects of sunlight,
perspiration, air contaminants and washing [1,2]

Polyester

Polyesters are made by a condensation reaction taking place between small

molecules. The linkage of the molecules occurs through the formation of ester groups.
An ester is formed by reaction acid with an alcohol.

Monomer

Repeating Unit

-H2O

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Polymer

The bonds which are present in this polymer are Covalent bond, van der waal
forces and dipolar-dipolar attraction. The present of oxygen and hydrogen also forms
hydrogen bonds.

Polyester Fibre Properties

 Very strong. So garments made from polyester fibres last longer than the ones
made from natural fibres
 Very resistant to wrinkles. Polyester garments retain their crease
 Not a good absorbent of water. Therefore polyester clothes dry faster
 Highly abrasion and moth resistant
 Resistant to ordinary chemicals and biological agents

Nylons
Condensation polymerization of di-carboxilic acid or di-carbonile chloride with
di-amine gives Polyamide. Polyamides are of different types.

Nylon Fibre Properties

1. Length: Length of nylon filament is unlimited and staple fibre lengths are
controllable.
2. Fineness: Nylon fibre fineness is also controllable.
3. X-sectional shape: Normally round shape but the cross sectional shape could be
changed.
4. Strength of nylon fibre is very high. Its tenacity varies from 4.6 to 5.8 g/den.
5. Extensibility: Nylon is highly extensible fibers. Extension at break is 30% but the
problem is poor recovery form extension. For that reason it is not used as sewing
thread for garment.
6. Resiliency: It has good resiliency property. Nylon fibers, yarn or fabric does not
crease easily. For that reason it is widely used for the pile fabric production. For
instance velvet, carpet etc.

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7. Frictional Resistance: Nylon fibre shows good frictional resistance. Due to high
strength and good frictional resistance property it is widely used for rope.

Nylon 6.6

Monomer (hexan-1,6-dioc acid + 1,6-diamionhexane)

-n H2O

Repeating Unit

Polymer

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Nylon 6.8

Monomer (octan-1,8-dioc acid + 1,6-diaminohexane )

Repeating unit

Polymer

The bonds which are present in Nylon Polymers are Covalent bond, van der waal
forces and dipolar-dipolar attraction. The present of nitrogen and hydrogen also forms
hydrogen bonds which makes it a very strong polymer.

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Nylon 6.10

Monomer (Sebacyl chloride + 1,6-diaminohexane)

Repeating Unit

Polymer

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Polyvinyl chloride

Addition polymerization of Vinyl Chloride gives Polyvinyl chloride.

Monomer

Repeating Unit

Polymer

Covalent bonds are found to be

present in the above polymer. Intermolecular attractive forces are van dal waal forces
and the melting points and boiling points are low due to non existence of other
intermolecular attractions.

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Polypropylene

Addition polymerization of propylene gives Polypropylene

Monomer

Repeating Unit

Polymer

Covalent bonds are found to be present in the above polymer. Intermolecular

attractive forces are van dal waal forces and the melting points and boiling points are
low due to non existence of other intermolecular attractions.

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 Polypropylene Fibre Properties

 Weight: Polypropylene is a light weight material.

 Tensile strength: Its tensile strength is high. It shows strong resistance
towards stress and cracking.
 Shape: Polypropylene is crystalline in nature and possesses a regular
geometrical shape.
 Insulation: It acts as an excellent insulating substance.
 Moisture Absorption: Polypropylene does not get affected by moisture as its
moisture absorption is very low.
 Melting Point: Melting point of polypropylene is 160°C. Therefore, unlike other
polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene), it is capable of being operational even at
a very high temperature.
 Corrosion: Polypropylene remains unaffected by chemicals like alkaline
substances, acids, de-greasing agents, electrolytic attacks, etc. However, its
resistance towards aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents and
ultraviolet radiation is not very strong.
 Other Useful Properties: It is a non poisonous material. It does not get
stained very easily. It can be easily fabricated. It can retain its stiffness and
flexibility at very high temperatures.

Polystyrene

Addition polymerization of styrene gives Polystyrene.

Monomer

Repeating Unit

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Polymer

Covalent bonds are found to be present in the above polymer.

Intermolecular attractive forces are van dal waal forces and the melting points and
boiling points are low due to non existence of other intermolecular attractions.

Polystyrene Fibre Properties

 Density - 1.05 g/cc

 Dielectric constant - 2.4 to 2.7
 Thermal conductivity - 0.08 W/(m.K)
 Young's modulus - 3000 to 3600 Mpa
 Tensile strength - 46 to 60 Mpa
 Melting point - 240 ºC
 Water absorption - 0.03 to 0.1

Polyacrylonitrile

Addition polymerization of acrylonitrile gives Polyacrylonitrile.

Monomer

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Repeating unit

Polymer

Covalent bonds are found to be present in the above polymer. Intermolecular

attractive forces are van der waal forces and the melting points and boiling points are
low due to non existence of other intermolecular attractions.

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