ABSTRACT:The preparation of thermo-induced hydrogel fibers composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acrylic acid) is presented. The hydrogel fiber was prepared by extruding the spinning dope from in situ polymerization of acrylic acid in the presence of PVA into a coagulating bath of saturated ammonium sulfate aqueous solution. The network was formed by thermally heating the dried fibers under vacuum. The final hydrogel fibers exhibit pH-sensitive behavior and show a hysteresis loop in the pH range from 3.0 to 12.0. The pH value, at which the swelling elongation ratio of the fiber had a jump, shifted to a lower value with increasing PAA content within the network. Increasing the heating temperature and time for the fibers, decreased the swelling elongation ratio, and the jump point pH shifted to higher pH value. The oscillatory swelling/contracting behavior of the hydrogel fiber exhibited a good reversible pH-responsive property. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed that PVA and PAA have good compatibility and give a relative independent interpenetrating network. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that in the surface of the fibers there were microholes and ditches due to some diffusion of PAA into the coagulating solution.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber has a low moisture regain, which allows it to easily gather static charges, and many investigations have been carried out on this problem. In this study, a series of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate) (PEIT)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block copolymers were prepared by the incorporation of isophthalic acid (IPA) during esterification and PEG during condensation. PEG afforded PET with an increased moisture affinity, which in turn, promoted the leakage of static charges. However, PET also then became easier to crystallize, even at room temperature, which led to decreased antistatic properties and increased manufacturing inconveniences. IPA was, therefore, used to reduce the crystallinity of the copolymers and, at the same time, make their crystal structure looser for increased water absorption. Moreover, PET fibers with incorporated IPA and PEG showed good dyeability. In this article, the structural characterization of the copolymers and antistatic and mechanical properties of the resulting fibers are discussed. At 4 wt % IPA, the fiber containing 1 mol % PEG with a molecular weight of 1000 considerably improved antistatic properties and other properties. In addition, the use of PEIT-PEG as an antistatic agent blended with PET or modified PET fibers also benefitted the antistatic properties. Moreover, PEIT-PEG could be used with another antistatic agent to produce fibers with a low volume resistance.

A novel cationic dyeable copolyester (MCDP) containing purified terephthalate acid (PTA), ethylene glycol (EG), 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (MPD), and sodium-5-sulfo-isophthalate (SIP) was synthesized via direct esterification method. The chemical structure of modified cationic dyeable polyester (MCPD) was confirmed by FTIR and 1 H-NMR. The thermal properties of MCDP and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) blends with different blend ratios were investigated by DSC. The results revealed that MCDP and CAB were immiscible polymer blends, and the glass transition temperature of CAB in blend fibers was higher than that of CAB in blend chips because of the strengthening hydrogen bonding. The chemical changes of MCDP and CAB in blend melt spinning were analyzed. It was found that the thermal hydrolysis reaction of ester side groups of CAB occurred in blend melt spinning, which resulted in that the acid gas was produced and the hydroxyl group content of CAB was increased. Furthermore, the moisture absorption of blend fibers was improved about three times than pure MCDP fiber even after washing 30 times.