Double etherification of corn starch to improve its adhesion to cotton and polyester fibers

In order to investigate the impact of double etherification on the adhesion to fibers and desizability of corn starch, a series of doubly etherified corn starch (DES) with the total degree of substitution (DS) values of 0.014-0.034 were prepared by simultaneous quaternization and sulfonation of acid-converted corn starch (ACS) with N-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (CHPTMA) and 3-chloro-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt (CHPS-Na). The influence of double etherification on the adhesion of starch to cotton and polyester fibers was evaluated. It was found that etherification was able to increase the tensile strengths of starch to the fibers, and the strengths gradually increased as the etherification levels rose. Moreover, etherification was capable of displaying a positive effect on the desizability of starch as determined by measurements of swelling capacity of DES films and the time required to break the films. Etherification also enhanced the paste stability and moisture regain of the films. The DES with a total DS value of 0.034 showed potential for ameliorating the adhesion of starch to cotton and polyester fibers for warp sizing.