ABSTRACT
The largest use of antifoams in the textile industry is during the dyeing of fibers and fabric. Foam consists of gas entrapped within thin films or lamellae of a liquid. Foaming is always accompanied by an increase in the interfacial surface area of the system and hence its total free energy. In many practical applications the foam lasts long enough to interfere with the physical and chemical processes being carried out, and steps must be taken to prevent it occurring. The challenge to the textile auxiliary formulator is to provide the textile dyer with a foam control agent that can be used in a wide variety of dyeing processes without any negative impact on either the dyeing process or the goods being dyed. The introduction of jet dyeing machines for rapid dyeing of polyester presented a major foam control challenge to the antifoam formulator, especially when dyeing darker shades where higher levels of disperse dyes are required.
