Soil-release process

A process for imparting oil-, water- and soil-repellency and soil-release properties to a substrate, said substrate being selected from fibers, yarns, fabrics, and other articles made therefrom, all of which are derived from natural polymeric materials, modified natural polymeric materials, or synthetic polymeric materials, or from blends of any of said polymeric materials and other porous materials which will absorb and transport low surface tension liquids either on their surfaces or in their interstices by capillary action, which comprises applying to said substrate a self-emulsifiable or self-dispersible aqueous composition comprising at least one urea linkage-containing alkoxy-polyoxyalkylene fluorocarbamate comprising a product prepared by reacting

• (a) at least one polyisocyanate which contains at least three isocyanate groups per molecule,
• (b) at least one fluorochemical reagent selected from
• (i) a perfluoroalkylethyl alcohol mixture of the formula:
• F(CF.sub.2).sub.a CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH wherein a is selected from predominantly 6, 8, and 10 or predominantly 8, 10, and 12,
• (ii) a perfluoroalkylmethyl alcohol of the formula F(CF.sub.2).sub.5 CH.sub.2 OH,
• (iii) hexafluoroisopropanol,
• (iv) a perfluoroalkylethyl thiol mixture of the formula F(CF.sub.2).sub.a CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 SH wherein a is predominantly 8, 10 and 12,
• (v) an N-alkyl-N-ethanolperfluoroalkylsulfonamide of the formula F(CF.sub.2).sub.a SO.sub.2 N(R)CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH wherein R is methyl or propyl and a is 8,
• (vi) a perfluoroalkylamine mixture of the formula F(CF.sub.2).sub.a CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NH.sub.2 wherein a is predominantly 8, 10, and 12,
• (vii) an N-perfluoroalkylethyl-N-phenylamine mixture of the formula F(CF.sub.2).sub.a CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --NH--C.sub.6 H.sub.5 wherein a is predominantly 6 and 8, and
• (viii) a mixture of diperfluorooctylethylamine and N-perfluoro-octylethyl-N-3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9-10,10,10-hexadecafluoro -2-decene-1-amine.
• said fluorochemical reagent reacting with about 7% to about 24% of said isocyanate groups;
• (c) at least one hydrophilic, water-solvatable reagent selected from
• (i) at least one ethylene oxide (EO) or ethylene oxide/propylene oxide (PO) derived polymer of the general formula ##STR13## wherein R is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical containing no more than six aliphatic or alicyclic carbon atoms;
• m and n are the average number of repeating oxyethylene (EO) and oxypropylene (PO) groups, respectively;
• provided that m is always a positive integer, while n is a positive integer or zero,
• (ii) methoxypolyethylene glycols (MPEG's), or mixtures thereof, having an average molecular weight equal to or greater than about 350, and
• (iii) butoxypolyoxyalkylenes containing equal amounts by weight of oxyethylene and oxypropylene groups,
• said hydrophilic, water-solvatable reagent reacting with about 8% to about 37% of said isocyanate groups, and
• (d) at least one reagent which on reaction with an isocyanate group yields functionality which has abeyant chemical reactivity with Zerewitinoff hydrogen atom-containing fibrous substrates which reagent is selected from 2-butanone oxime, acetone oxime, cyclohexanone oxime, phenol, cresol, o-nitrophenol, p-nitrophenol, o-chlorophenol, p-chlorophenol, naphthol, 4-hydroxy-biphenyl, thiophenol, 2,2,2-trichloroethanol, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol, diethyl malonate, acetyl acetone, ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl cyanoacetate, caprolactam, sodium bisulfite, hydroxylamine, and epoxyalcohols,
• said reagent which yields said abeyant chemical reactivity reacting with about 15 % to about 60% of said isocyanate groups, and
• (e) thereafter with water,
• the equivalent weight of said polyisocyanate and said reagents (b), (c) and (d) being such that said reagents react with 55% to 95% of said isocyanate groups, and water reacts with all of the remaining isocyanate groups.