| abstract |
Fibrous substrates are durably modified by applying a polyoxyethylene-containing silane to the substrate and heating the substrate to cure the silane. Durability of the treatment is achieved by using a silane having the formula R(OCH2CH2)xOR'SR''SiZ3 where Z denotes a hydroxyl or a hydrolyzable radical, R' and R'' are divalent aliphatic radicals of suitable size, R is hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower acyl and x has a value of at least 3. The silane is applied to the fibrous substrate, such as a hydrophobic fabric, as a homogeneous liquid composition comprising the silane, a volatile liquid carrier and a siloxane polymerization catalyst to provide a treated substrate having improved properties, such as hydrophilicity. |