Chemical analysis of fabric finishes and performance-related tests

The identification of chemical finishes on fabrics can serve several purposes. Often a fabric with an unknown finish needs to be analyzed for forensic or competitive reasons. Fabrics that do not perform as expected need to be analyzed to determine if the correct finish was applied in the proper concentration. Regular analysis of production fabrics forms a basis for process improvement through application of statistical process control methods. 

The following sections discuss a variety of analysis methods that can be used to examine textile finishes. The discussion is divided into two sections, one for methods that can be used with fabrics without separation techniques and the other for techniques that require extraction of the finish or finish component of interest from the fabric. 

By studying the absorbed frequencies from a sample, the presence or absence of specific functional groups can be inferred. 

Of the various infrared techniques available, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has become the most useful for textile finish analysis. The entire spectrum is recorded simultaneously and scanning is not necessary. In this way, many spectra can be recorded and averaged in a short time. FTIR utilizes a computer interface to store and manipulate the recorded spectra. The spectra can then be easily compared with libraries of standard spectra to aid in the identifica- 

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), sometimes called electron spectroscopy 

---

Chemical analysis of fabric finishes and performance-related tests... 

---