Hydrophilic Finishing of PET Fabrics by Applying Chitosan and the Periodate Oxidized β-cyclodextrin for Wash Resistance Improvement

β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was oxidized by sodium periodate to yield a mixture of dialdehyde oligosaccharides. The periodate-oxidized β-CD (O-β-CD) together with chitosan (CTS) was firstly used to finish poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics by immersion-padding method, in which O-β-CD acted as a hydrophilic finishing agent plus a cross-linker. The processes including the periodate oxidization of β-CD and the CTS/O-β-CD hydrophilic finishing of PET fabrics were eco-friendly. The results from the hydroxylamine hydrochloride titration showed that the aldehyde content in O-β-CD was 3.0 mmol/g. With increasing the CTS/O-β-CD mass ratio, the finished fabric had better hydrophilic properties. When the CTS/O-β-CD mass ratio was 1:1, the moisture regain and water drops wetting time of the finished fabric reached 1.85 % and 5.06 s, respectively. They became 1.50 % and 5.70 s, respectively after 25 times of laundering cycle. The occurrence of cross-linking between O-β-CD and CTS was confirmed by the gel test and FT-IR characterization. The cross-linking network deposited on the fiber surface brought on excellent wash resistance of the CTS/O-β-CD finished PET fabrics.