Department of Jute and Fiber Technology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
Research Article
Crosslinking of chitosan with eri silk using maleic acid
Author(s): Ashis Narayan Amita Banerjee, Dibyendu Bikash Datta*, Rajiv Munshi and Debasish Das
Polycarboxylic acid compounds such as butane tetra carboxylic acid (BTCA), cyclopentane tetracarboxylic acid, (CPTA), and citric acid offer an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and safe alternative to the use of toxic formaldehyde condensate
resin as a crosslinking agent for silk. However, the sodium salts of phosphoruscontaining mineral acids used as esterification catalysts with such polycarboxylic acids are not environmentally friendly in view of their reported adverse effects on the aquatic environment and soil. Also, finishes based on such non-polymeric polycarboxylic acids cannot retain or improve the strength and moisture-regain
characteristics of silk. Moreover, most polycarboxylic acids are too expensive for practical exploitation. In view of the above, the present work was aimed at establishing the optimum condition for the application of maleic acid on silk fabric .. Read More»