Effects of Chemical and Surface Modification on Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Polyester Fabrics

Abstract

The treatment of polyester fabric in alkali medium isa common chemical modification process for producing a fabric with desirablequalities such as soft cloth, fabric regain, water absorbency, and fabricpilling with draping. However, if the optimization of the chemical treatmentwas not maintained, there could be serious decrease in mechanical strength ofpolyester fabrics. In this study, surface modification via low-temperatureplasma application ( lt;50 0C) were used as an alternative tochemical modification of polyester fabrics with alkaline treatment and theeffects of both chemical and surface modification on mechanical and chemicalproperties of polyester fabrics were investigated. Parameters of chemical modification such asexposure time and concentration of alkali were varied while different exposuretime was used in plasma application as a surface modification treatment.Performance tests such as mechanical strength, loss of weight andhydrophilicity of polyester fabrics were tested after each modification.Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs were characterized as well.According to the test results; loss of weight of polyester fabrics afterchemical modification was more than occurred right after surface modification.Advantages of surface modification on polyester fabrics were clearly seen inthis study, especially when compared to high concentration alkali treatment. Itwas also considered that these functionalized polyester fabrics could be usedas an alternative platform for 3DP (three-dimentional printing) applicationsbefore deposition of the polymers.

Keywords

• alkali işlem
• yüzey modifikasyonu
• polyester kumaş
• plazma işlemi
• alkaline treatment
• surface modification
• polyester fabrics
• plasma application