Soil release coating for textile floor coverings based on dirigated functional nanocellulose
01IF22255N
Due to their advantages (e.g. homely atmosphere, walking comfort, slip resistance, noise insulation), textile floor coverings are widely used in the object area (e.g. hotels and restaurants, offices, residential areas of retirement and nursing homes). To increase the service life and to maintain the visual appearance of textile floor coverings, a frequent basic cleaning by cleaning service providers is essential in many areas:
High concentrations of cleaning chemicals are introduced into wear layer of textile floor coverings, which then have to be removed together with detached soil using large amounts of water.
However, residues of surfactants contained in the cleaning agents cannot be avoided. Since surfactant residues increase soil adhesion, rapid resoiling occurs.
Despite the use of surfactant-containing cleaners, some local soiling (in particular aged greasy and oily soiling) cannot be completely removed by wet cleaning. The time-consuming manual treatment of such local soiling using stain removal agents is part of the basic cleaning process.
If permeating soil components (e.g. from mustard, coffee, tea, ink, cosmetics) have already migrated into the textile material, removal of local soiling is no longer possible. Within the scope of the research project, a renewable, flame-retardant, degradable soil release coating was therefore developed.
Such a coating is based on nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) with specially designed polyphosphoester (PPE) functionalities on the surface, whose functional properties are controlled by the environmental conditions (directed-functional nanocellulose).
Under application conditions, the soil release coating has a high abrasion resistance and barrier effect, as binding interactions occur between the nanocelluloses and between nanocelluloses and the fibres of the wear layer.
Under basic cleaning conditions, the alkaline hydrolysis of the PPE functionalities leads to a cancellation of the binding interactions, whereby the soil-release coating is detached from the floor covering.
Soil detached in this process is emulsified by the NCC (formation of a Pickering emulsion) and soil redeposition is prevented. The use of surfactants for basic cleaning is therefore not necessary.
The research report is available on request from FRT.