Preparation and characterization of oxidized sesbania gum and evaluation of its warp sizing performance for fine cotton yarns

Sesbania gum (SG) was oxidized by sodium hypochlorite. Resultant oxidized sesbania gum (OSG) was characterized by means of Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The thermal stability of OSG was analyzed by means of thermal analysis and the apparent viscosity of its slurry was also measured by rotary viscometer. Moreover, the effect of OSG slurry as a warp sizing agent on the physico-mechanical properties of fine cotton yarns was investigated. It was found that fine cotton yarns sized with OSG had increased tensile strength and decreased elongation at break than the untreated ones. Besides, the fine cotton yarns treated with the OSG slurry had obviously decreased hairiness index and slightly increased abrasion resistance, and OSG slurry had good adhesion. In one word, as-synthesized OSG slurry may find promising application as a novel high-performance warp sizing agent for fine cotton yarns.