Soil-release behaviour of polyester fabrics after chemical modification with polyethylene glycol

摘要

The fibres cleanability depends, among other characteristics, on their hydrophilicity.Hydrophilic fibres are easy-wash materials but hydrophobic fibres are difficult to clean due totheir higher water-repellent surfaces. This type of surfaces, like polyester (PET), produce anaccumulation of electrostatic charges, which favors adsorption and retention of dirt. Thus, thepolyester soil-release properties can be increased by finishing processes that improve fiberhydrophilicity. In present study, PET fabric modification was described by using poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) and N,N´-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU) chemicallymodified resin. Briefly, the modification process was carried out in two steps, one to hydrolysethe polyester and create hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups on the surface and other tocrosslink the PEG chains. The resulting materials were characterized by contact angle, DSCand FTIR-ATR methods. Additionally, the soil release behavior and the mechanical propertiesof modified PET were evaluated. For the best process conditions, the treated PET presented 0ºcontact angle, grade 5 stain release and acceptable mechanical performance.