Antistatic Agents in the Textile Industry

Meetings of the Midlands Section held jointly with the Nottingham Textile Society at the Gas Board Theatre, Nottingham, on 18th November 1958, Mr. A. W. Carpenter in the chair; of the Scottish Section held jointly with the Textile Institute at the St. Enoch Hotel, Glasgow, on 10th February 1959, Mr. W. G. B. Grant in the, chair; of the Huddersfield Section held at Silvio's Cafe, Huddersfield, on 17th February 1959, Mr. H. Boothroyd in the chair; and of the London Section held in the rooms of the Royal Society, Burlington House, London, on 6th March 1959, Dr. T. H. Morton in the chair The causes of “static” are discussed and appropriate counter‐measures described. Surface‐active agents are the most convenient to use and possess the greatest all‐round utility in the textile industry. The preferred properties of antistatic agents are given and suitable test methods discussed. Antistatic agents reduce the electrical resistance of fibres and are hygroscopic, but cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of these properties. It is probable that the nature and orientation of the hydrophilio groups of the agents on the fibre determine the antistatic effect, and that antistatic agents function not only because they are hygroscopic and reduce fibre resistance, but because they are orientated in a specific manner on the fibre surface. The “ageing” of antistatic agents appears to be due to diffusion into the fibre, resulting in a reduced surface concentration and a correspondingly diminished antistatic effect; it is accompanied by an increase in the electrical surface resistance of the fibre. Antistatic agents reduce fibre resistance even at elevated temperatures and low atmospheric humidities.