*Four different carboxylic acids, 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), maleic acid (MA), succinic acid (SUA), and citric acid (CA), were used as crosslinking agents to treat cotton fabrics in the presence of nanometer titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a catalyst under UV irradiation. The dry crease recovery angle (DCRA) and wet crease recovery angle (WCRA) values of the treated fabrics were ranked BTCA > MA > CA > SUA and the tensile strength retention (TSR) values were ranked BTCA < MA < CA < SUA at a given resin concentration, catalyst concentration, and irradiation time period. The physical properties of the treated fabrics for nanometer silver/nanometer titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) catalyst showed the same tendency. At a given DCRA, the WCRA values were ranked in the order BTCA = MA > CA = SUA; and at a given value of the TSR, the WCRA and DCRA values were both ranked in the order BTCA > MA > CA > SUA. The softness values of the carboxylic acid treated fabrics in the presence of nanometer TiO2 catalyst were all better than that of the untreated fabric. Surface deposition of the treated fabrics for BTCA, which contains one vinyl double bond and four carboxylic acid groups, was higher than that for CA, which contains no vinyl double bond. IR spectra and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis survey spectra showed the ester bond crosslink between the cellulose molecule and the various acids used in this study. The values of DCRA, WCRA, and add-on of the CA crosslinked fabrics for the mixed catalysts were in the order ZrO2/TiO2 < SiO2/TiO2 < Ag/TiO2. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.