Moisture management of polypropylene non-woven fabric using microcrystalline cellulose through surface modification

Abstract

This paper reports a new method for improving the liquid moisture management properties of polypropylene (PP) non-woven fabric. The method involves the generation of a rigid polyvinylsilanetriols structure by hydrolysis of vinyltriethoxysilane and subsequent grafting of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) onto the activated polypropylene non-woven fabric by free radicle mechanism using hydrogen peroxide resulting into covalently bonded cellulose through PP-Si-O-Si- linkage. The simple pad-dry-cure process was used for the application of MCC through the sol-gel method. The modified substrates were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TGA, and evaluated for their performance using wicking height, drying rate, air permeability, liquid moisture management, and other essential textile properties. The treated polypropylene non-woven samples exhibited improved liquid moisture management property and other textile properties except tearing strength. The firmly attached MCC was stable enough to maintain its moisture management capacity and textile properties even after 10 laundering cycles. The modified substrate can enhance the scope of sports textiles.

Keywords

• Microcrystalline cellulose
• Polypropylene non-woven
• Vinyl-based silane
• Hydrophilicity
• Moisture management property
• Coating