Compositions for the treatment of textile materials

Abstract

Compositions for textile treatment comprising an admixture of: (a) an aqueous emulsion of a copolymer of a monomeric mixture consisting essentially of an oxirane-containing monoethylenically-unsaturated material and at least one other monoethylenically-unsaturated material selected from the group characterized by the formula ##STR1## wherein R is H or C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl and R' is a straight chain or branched chain radical of a primary or secondary alkanol, alkoxyalkanol or alkylthiaalkanol having up to 14 carbon atoms, and (b) a water soluble or water dispersible polyamine which is composed of at least 4 alkylenimine units (--CH--CH--N--) which occur in sequences of such alkylenimine units having the formula A ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from hydrogen, and lower alkyl radicals of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sub.3 is H or other alkylenimine sequences of formula A, and n is a number which has an average value of at least 2, wherein the admixture (a) and (b) is further characterized in that it exists as a stable emulsion at a pH in the range 3 to 11 and wherein the proportion of polyamine (b) is such that the sequences of alkylenimine units of formula A represent from 0.5% to 25% by weight of the non-volatile material in the combined mass of the emulsion copolymer and polyamine. The compositions may be used at low application levels so that wool-containing textiles in particular may be rendered shrink-resistant without impairment to their handle, color, strength or other desirable properties of the fibre.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.