Phosphorylation and Octenylsuccinylation of Acid‐Thinned Starch for Enhancing Adhesion on Cotton/Polyester Blend Fibers at Varied Temperature Sizing

Abstract

In this study, amphiphilic starch prepared by phosphorylation and octenylsuccinylation is surveyed to identify its effect on the adhesion of starch to cotton/polyester blend fibers at different temperature. Acid‐thinned cornstarch (ATS) is phosphorylated and octenylsuccinylated with pentasodium triphosphate and 2‐octenylsuccinic anhydride, respectively, to improve upon adhesion to cotton/polyester blend fibers. Two series of amphiphilic starch samples with different levels of the substitution (DS) are derived for determining desirable level of starch modification in sizing. Amphiphilic starch paste shows strong adhesion to cotton/polyester blend fibers than ATS paste. It is found that the modification reduces the crystallinity, changed the morphology, improves moisture regain, alleviates the adverse influence of starch retrogradation, and improves adhesion to fibers and desizing efficiency. The adhesion of amphiphilic starch paste to cotton/polyester blend fibers at 60 °C is statistically higher than adhesion of ATS at 95 °C. The amphiphilic starch with a total DS of 0.06 shows the highest potential use for strong cotton/polyester blend warp sizing due to its good sizing properties.