ABSTRACT
Antistatic agents are chemicals that are applied to the surface of yarn or fabric to control the propensity of those materials to accumulate static electricity. Although these agents can function either by reducing the generation of the electrical charge, by increasing the conductance of the materials to which they are added, or by both mechanisms, most antistatic chemicals probably act through the conductivity mechanism. Antistatic finish additives are also effective in reducing the electrical resistance, thus improving the conductivity of fibers and fabrics. The liquids of high dielectric constant are normally volatile and thus their effectiveness as antistatic agents are temporary. The electrical resistance of a material is an important factor in determining whether that substance will show large changes in static after being separated from another material. Most of the available chemical antistatic agents use the conductivity of water as the mechanism of their action and actually are present only to assure the presence of water.
