A novel method to bind soybean protein onto the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric

Abstract

In this study, –NH2 groups were introduced to a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric to make the fabric hydrophilic and, then, soybean protein was bonded on the surface of the modified PET fabric to obtain a soybean protein/PET composite fabric. The –NH2 groups allowed the soybean protein to be firmly bonded on the surface of the modified PET fabric. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the surface of each modified PET fiber had a small number of grooves and that there was a thin film on each soybean protein/PET fiber. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra demonstrated that the nitrated and reduced PET fibers were introduced –NH2 groups and that there were –CO–NH– groups on the surface of soybean protein/PET fibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that there was a nitrogen element on the modified PET fibers. The X-ray diffraction patterns suggested that the crystal structures of the modified fibers did not change significantly during the modification processes. The thermogravimetry results showed that the thermal stability of soybean protein/PET fiber kept well. The wearability tests indicated that the breaking strength and elasticity of the original fabric were well retained by the modified fabrics. The soybean protein/PET fabric had good levels of hydrophilicity and softness when the binding rate was below 3.0%.