ABSTRACT
Static problems can be controlled by increasing the rate of charge dissipation or by eliminating the generation of static electricity. Antistatic agents function by increasing either the electrolytic or electronic conductivity of materials to which they are added. Most of the known antistatic agents that function by improving the electrolytic conductivity of textiles are hygroscopic compounds that contribute to conductivity by ensuring the presence of water and dissolved ions. Since ionizing groups are hygroscopic, antistatic finishes can be prepared even without the presence of nonionic hygroscopic moieties in the molecule. Quaternary ammonium derivatives of fatty compounds are probably the most widely used, nondurable antistats for textile materials because of their combination of very high antistatic effectiveness and softening action on textiles. In 1957, durable antistatic finishes consisting of cationic poly-electrolytes containing polyethylene oxide segments were first disclosed, and this general class of compounds remains to this day the most important for use in durable antistatic finishing.
