Surfactant applications Textiles fibres

Yang et al. [389] rapidly distinguished compounds extracted from paper, using on-line SFE-SFC-FHR in conjunction with principal component analysis. The quantitative determination of the surfactant mixture Triton X-100 and other complex oligoether surfactants by means of cSFC-FTIR flow-cells has been reported [390,391]. Practical applications of SFC-FTIR include the determination of nonvolatile compounds from microwave-susceptible packaging that may migrate into heated food. Another application is the analysis of fibre finishes on fibre/textile matrices. 

For application of these fluorochemical finishes to textile fabrics, an extremely important factor is their formulation into suitable aqueous emulsions or dispersions. The quality of the formulation has a critical influence on stability during storage and application, as well as the efficacy of treatment and durability [501,502]. In particular, the choice of surfactant(s) for emulsifying or dispersing must ensure good stability with freedom from deposition on rollers, yet must not impair the water and oil repellency of the finished fabric. No individual product fulfils all requirements hence specifically formulated products are available for certain fibre types. 

There are both process aids and cleaning application uses of surfactants in the textiles field. Surfactants are used to help produce and process fibres into cloth which, once produced, needs to be cleaned prior to the dyeing steps. Surfactants also find use as auxiliaries to the dyeing process to help lay down consistent levels of dyes on fibre surfaces. 

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