Microscopic study of the surface morphology of CO₂ laser-treated cotton and cotton/polyester blended fabric

Abstract

This paper presents how the morphology of fibers is affected by CO2 laser treatment. The change in morphology of fibers induced by a laser affects the physical and mechanical properties of the fabric, such as water absorption, dye uptake, resistance to wrinkles and adhesion to other materials, etc. The morphology of laser-treated fibers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Samples of cotton twill fabric, cotton/polyester blended twill fabric and cotton knitted fabrics with different yarn counts were studied before and after laser treatment. SEM images reveal different sizes of pores and cracks on the surface of cotton fibers. In the case of cotton/polyester blended twill fabric, the two types of fibers responded differently to laser treatment; the change in cotton fibers was slightly different from the SEM images of 100% cotton twill fabric. The number of pores and cracks on the fiber surface of cotton/polyester fabric was lower than that found in 100% cotton twill fabric. Polyester fibers melt and flow while cotton fibers are encased in resolidified polyester. For 100% cotton knitted fabrics, the thickest yarn with the lowest yarn twist exhibited the largest change when compared with fabrics knitted with lower yarn counts. The degree of change of fiber surface modification was enhanced with an increase of laser processing variables.

An Analysis of Effect of CO2 Laser Treatment on Carbon Fibre Fabric

“…The region of 1670-1820 cm −1 generally represents the presence of C=O carbonyl functional group [25] on the carbon fibre surface after laser treatment and peak intensity is more obvious in 1670-1700 cm −1 (Circle (b)). The increase in peak intensity in 1670-1700 cm −1 indicates that oxygencontaining groups are introduced over the carbon fibre surface after laser treatment which may be due to the thermal oxidation effect [16][17][18]. On the other hand, peak intensity in the region 1050-1250 cm −1 (Circle (e)) is increased which represents the C-O-C [26].…”

“…After laser-treatment, the contact angle of the laser-treated carbon fibre fabric decreases to different extents, with the variation of pixel time and resolution. Generally, the increase in pixel time and resolution increases laser irradiation energy to interact with the substrate surface [16][17][18]. However, the level of laser irradiation energy depends on the combination of the laser process parameters of pixel time and resolution [16][17][18].…”

“…Previous studies reveal that CO 2 laser treatment is a good candidate for changing aesthetic properties of materials in fabric form [13][14][15]. With careful control of CO 2 laser treatment process parameters, the aesthetic effects (surface textual effects) can be controlled with minimum damage of the material itself [16][17][18][19][20]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of CO 2 laser treatment on carbon fibre fabric.…”

A Study of CO2 Laser Treatment on Colour Properties of Cotton-Based Fabrics

“…Specifications of the laser machine and parameters used for the experiment are listed in Table 2 [11]. Fabric pieces of size 20 cm × 20 cm were subjected to laser treatment under different combinations of resolution and pixel time for easy comparison [12,13].…”

“…However, the effect of laser treatment, using commercially production scale laser machine, on colour properties, involving its effect of dyeing, on 100% cotton woven fabrics has been studied in recent years [7][8][9][10] but its effect on cotton-blended fabrics, such as cotton/polyester fabrics, have been seldom reported. In our previous work [8,11], we compared some physical and chemical properties of laser treated pure cotton and cotton/polyester blended fabrics. In order to have a better understanding of the effect of treatment approach on the change in …”