Studies on modification of polyester fabrics I: Alkaline hydrolysis

Abstract

synopsisHydrolysis of polyester fabrics with sodium hydroxide has been studied with a view to imparting hydrophilicity and other comfort-related properties to polyeater textiles. E f f e c t of reaction parameters such as treatment time, concentration of alkali, and temperature on the extant of hydrolysis is examined and the modified fabrics are waluated for their important physical, mechanical, and physicochemical properties. The mechanism of hydrolytic degradation of polyester fabrics, as determined by the weight loss, has also been ascertained. Alkali p r o msively degrades polyester by saponification of its ester linkages and results in a loss in weight of the fabric. Weight loss increases linearly with treatment time and nonlinearly with alkali concentration and reaction temperature. A linear correlation exists between strength loss of the fabric and its weight loss. By alkaline hydrolysis, surface hydrophilicity and feel of the fabric are considerably improved, whereas such properties' as moisture regain, crease recovery angle, etc., remain practically unchanged. Attempts have been made to explain the results in terms of modifications in the surface characterktics of polyeater fabrics.

Discussion on Avoidance of Staining Problem in Cotton/CDPET Dyeing

“…Lyogen DFTN considerably enhanced the rate and extent of the dye uptake percentage. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of polyester material increases the chain mobility and leads to an extra shape ultimately being opened that can also enhance the uptake percentage by less penetration of the dye molecule [19]. Table 2 and 3 show the wash and rubbing fastness properties of the blended fabrics.…”

Assessing friction in silk-like finished polyester fabrics

“…Silk-like finishing, which is used to obtain 100% PES fabrics mimicking natural silk in drape and hand, has been a widespread industrial treatment for a long time (Dave, Kumar & Srivastava, 1987). Essentially, the process involves treating polyester fabric with an aqueous solution of caustic soda under variable conditions of concentration, temperature and exposure time.…”

“…The hydrolysis rate depends on the alkali concentration and temperature used. Some studies have exposed a linear relationship between treatment time and the square root of residual fibre weight (Zeronian & Collins, 1989), (Gacén, 1991); others, have found a non-linear relationship of fibre weight loss to alkali concentration and temperature at each treatment time (Dave, Kumar & Srivastava, 1987). Industrial and research evidence suggest that temperature has an even stronger effect on the reaction rate than has alkali concentration, which in turn is more influential than treatment time (Zeronian & Collins, 1989).…”

Polypyrrole Based Electro-Conductive Cotton Yarn

“…Polypyrrole is successfully coated on different textile fibres such as cotton, wool, silk, polyester etc. and their various applications are explored by different researchers [9][10][11][12][13]. So, the trend is of making conductive textiles by coating conductive polymer and characterizing their functional properties to meet demand of technical applications.…”