Takako Igarashi, Naoki Morita, Yoshimasa Okamoto, Koichi Nakamura
Most softening agents, such as rinse cycle fabric softeners, used by consumers at home contain cationic surfactants that have two long alkyl chains as their main component. The softening mechanism on fibers, especially cotton, has not yet been scientifically established, despite the market prevalence of fabric softeners for decades. One explanation for the softening effect is that the friction between fibers is reduced. According to this explanation, the fiber surfaces are coated by layers of alkyl chains. Because of the low coefficient of friction between alkyl chain layers of low surface energy, the fibers easily slide against one another yielding softer cotton clothing...
2016: Journal of Surfactants and Detergents