Photochemical reactions of the substituent groups of cotton cinnamate fabric

The extents to which the substituents of cotton cinnamate fabrics dimerize and undergo cis–trans isomerization upon irradiation with 2537 Å light were determined. It was shown that these photochemical reactions occur primarily on the surface of the fabric. Simple crosslinking via the truxillic and/or truxinic acid residues, although directly related to the increases in conditioned wrinkle recovery angles, was sufficient to produce fabrics with only moderate levels of wrinkle recovery properties.