Fields of application of polyacrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile, what‘s that?

A fibre, the finished version of which everybody has already seen of felt: in summer as a coloured sunshade or fancy garden upholstery, in winter as a soft blanket or warm scarf.

The fibre owes these fields of application to its positive properties regarding tensile strength, resistance to rotting, ultraviolet resistance and colour fastness.

Polyacrylonitrile is thus excellently suitable for garden upholstery, awnings or sunshades.

Since PAN reaches the market mainly in textured form, which confers high bulkiness and a woollen character to the fibre, it is also used for manufacturing sweaters, imitation fur and blankets.

With PAN soft, warm and crease-resistant articles can be made, pure or blended with eg cotton or wool.

The only disadvantage is the fibre‘s heat sensitivity. In home laundering the maximum temperature of 40 °C has to be observed. Drying in a tumble drier is to be avoided. Iron only at level 1.

Due to the fibre‘s chemical composition, the finisher, however, may face some problems.

Problems when dyeing PAN

• Critical dyeing temperature range at 80 °C, practically no dyeing takes place below 80 °C, but above 80 °C dyeing is uncontrolled and unlevel.
• In a certain period of time, in principle, only a defined quantity of dyestuff can be absorbed by PAN fibres.
• If the dyestuff is only limited, dyestuff pick-up is highly accelerated.
• Without the addition of auxiliaries problems of levelness will inevitably arise.

The solution

To counteract all these problems, a chemical and dyestuff system has to be selected in the run-up that guarantees a uniform final fabric appearance and colour.

What is important in this case is a product that imparts levelling and simultaneously retarding effects. Free binding places of the fibre that need then to be uniformly available for the dyestuff are saturated at the beginning of the dyeing. This is the only way to ensure uniform dyestuff pick-up.

Especially for this problem RUDOLF GROUP offers a selected product range.

Advantages of RUDOLF retarding and levelling agents:

• Easy handling
• No calculations necessary
• The application quantity depends on the dyestuff quantity.

You will find further information in the brochure.