1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) can impart good anti-wrinkle properties to treated cotton fabrics, but it also causes significant strength loss. In this paper, maleic acid (MA) and acrylic acid (AA) were employed to synthesize a low-molecular-weight copolymer (P(MA–AA)) for the anti-wrinkle finishing of cotton fabrics with the hope of reducing strength loss. The best molar ratio of MA:AA and reaction time were 2.5:1 and 5 h, respectively. The molecular weight of P(MA–AA) was determined via mass spectroscopy as 376, and the copolymer consisted of two MA and two AA molecules. The recommended anti-wrinkle finishing conditions were 140 g/L P(MA–AA), finishing bath pH of 1.8, curing temperature of 180 °C and curing time of 2 min. Consequently, the P(MA–AA) showed an outstanding finishing effect on cotton fabrics, compared with BTCA, MA, and citric acid treatments. Additionally, the P(MA–AA)-treated fabrics achieved a wrinkle recovery angle, tearing strength retention, and whiteness index of 255.1° ± 3.50°, 51.2, and 76.20%, respectively. This indicates that P(MA–AA) has a potential for industrial applications.

1,2,3,4-丁烷四羧酸（BTCA）可以赋予已处理的棉织物良好的抗皱性能，但同时也会导致强度明显下降。本文采用马来酸（MA）和丙烯酸（AA）合成低分子量共聚物（P（MA–AA））用于棉织物的抗皱整理，以期减少强度损失。 。MA：AA的最佳摩尔比和反应时间分别为2.5：1和5 h。P（MA–AA）的分子量通过质谱测定为376，该共聚物由两个MA和两个AA分子组成。推荐的抗皱整理条件为140 g / LP（MA–AA），整理液的pH为1.8，固化温度为180°C，固化时间为2分钟。因此，与BTCA，MA相比，P（MA–AA）对棉织物具有出色的整理效果。和柠檬酸治疗。此外，经过P（MA–AA）处理的织物的皱纹恢复角，撕裂强度保持率和白度指数分别为255.1°±3.50°，51.2和76.20％。这表明P（MA–AA）具有工业应用潜力。