According to their different chemical structural characteristics, textile auxiliaries are mainly divided into two categories: surfactants and polymers.
Surfactants can be classified into anionic, cationic, amphoteric, and nonionic types based on their ionic properties.
Anionic surfactant
According to their different hydrophilic groups, anionic surfactants can be divided into fatty carboxylate salts, fatty alcohol sulfate salts, alkyl sulfonate salts, alkylbenzene sulfonate salts, and phosphate ester salts. As the surface active agent with the longest application history, the largest usage, and the lowest price, anionic surface active agents have excellent cleaning, emulsification, and solubilization effects. They are mainly used as detergents, wetting agents, refining agents, and leveling agents in textile processing.
Cationic surfactant
According to their different structures, cationic surfactants can be divided into primary amine salts, secondary amine salts, tertiary amine salts, and quaternary ammonium salts. Due to its strong emulsifying, dispersing, and foaming properties, cationic surfactants are commonly used as softeners, antistatic agents, and leveling agents in textile processing.
Amphoteric surfactant
According to their different structures, amphoteric surfactants can be divided into amino carboxylic acid, betaine, and imidazoline types. It not only has good penetration, emulsification, and cleaning effects, but also has low biodegradability and good compatibility. It is commonly used as a softener, leveling agent, etc. in textile finishing.
Non-ionic surfactant
According to their different structures, non-ionic surfactants can be divided into two categories: fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether and alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether. Due to its strong emulsifying, degreasing, solubilization, and low foaming properties, it is used in large quantities in textile processing, second only to cationic surfactants, and is commonly used as an emulsifier, leveling agent, and refining agent.
