Treated polymer fabrics

An article comprising:

• (A) a hydrophobic polymer fabric treated with
• (B) a wetting agent which comprises at least one compound of the formula ##STR21## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having from about 8 to about 150 carbon atoms;
• each R.sub.2 is independently an alkylene group or a hydroxy substituted or hydroxyalkyl substituted alkylene group;
• n is 1 to about 100;
• M is a hydrogen, a metal cation or an ammonium cation;
• and X is --OR.sub.5, ##STR22## wherein R.sub.5 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having about 1 to about 30 carbon atoms and each R.sub.6 and R.sub.8 is independently an alkyl or alkenyl group having about 8 to about 150 carbon atoms.

A process for improving the hydrophilic characteristics of a hydrophobic polymer fabric, comprising the steps of:

• treating with a wetting agent which comprises at least one compound of the formula ##STR25## wherein R.sub.1 is a hydrocarbyl group having about 8 to about 150 carbon atoms;
• R.sub.2 is a hydrocarbylene group, or a hydroxy substituted or hydroxyalkyl substituted hydrocarbylene;
• each R.sub.3 is independently hydrogen, an alkyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, a hydrocarbylcarbonyl or a polyoxyalkylene group;
• each R.sub.4 is independently a hydrocarbylene group;
• each n is independently 1 to 150;
• m is zero or one;
• m' is zero or one;
• M is a hydrogen, an ammonium cation or a metal cation;
• and
• when m' is zero, X is --H, --Ar, --OH, --OR.sub.5, ##STR26## when m' is one, X is --H, --R.sub.5, ##STR27## wherein each R.sub.5, R.sub.6 and R.sub.8 is independently a hydrocarbyl group having up to 100 carbon atoms;
• R.sub.7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms and Ar is a phenyl group.