Abstract
Abstract Polyester is a popular class of material used in material engineering. With its 0.4% moisture regain, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is classified as highly hydrophobic, which originates from its lack of polar groups on its backbone. This study used a parallel-plate nonthermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge system operating at medium pressure in dry air and nitrogen (N2) to alter the surface properties of PET fabrics to increase their hydrophilic capabilities. Water contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were utilized to analyze any effect from the plasma treatment. The wettability analysis revealed a reduction in the contact angle of more than 80% within 5 min for both discharges. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed no microscopic damage to the fiber structure, guaranteeing that the fabrics’ structural integrity was preserved after treatment. AFM analysis showed an increase in the nanometer roughness, which was considered beneficial because it increased the total surface area, further increasing the hydrophilic capacity. XPS analysis revealed a sharp increase in the presence of polar functional groups, indicating that the induced surface changes are mostly chemical in nature. Comparing that of untreated fabrics to treated fabrics, a Increase in water absorption capacity was observed for air-treated and N2-treated fabrics, when these fabrics were used immediately after plasma exposure.
Highlights
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly referred to as polyester, is considered to be one of the most important polymers in the textile industry because of its compelling characteristics, such as high strength, formability, dimensional and thermal stability, degree of hardness, and excellent chemical properties [1, 2]
Wetting and hydrophilic characteristics of nonwoven polyester fiber sheets increased after air and nitrogen plasma treatments, caused by the formation of C=O and O–C=O polar groups on the surface of the substrate, while inadequate nitrogen-containing groups were observed, as presented in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis
water contact angle (WCA) of the samples decreased to a minimum level and slightly increased after the energy density of 14.92 and 11.21 J/cm2 for air and nitrogen, respectively, so these values of energy density were fixed for atomic force microscopy (AFM), XPS, and wettability discussion sections
Summary
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly referred to as polyester, is considered to be one of the most important polymers in the textile industry because of its compelling characteristics, such as high strength, formability, dimensional and thermal stability, degree of hardness, and excellent chemical properties [1, 2]. PET’s hydrophobic nature is problematic for hydrophilic applications, a process that requires textiles to absorb and transport liquids To overcome this problem, chemical modifications [4] have been studied to make PET fabrics more hydrophilic. Nonthermal plasma treatment is one of the most promising surface modification technologies that has been reported over last decade [8, 9]; plasma technology recently gained interest because of its improved capacity to effectively change the wettability, lack of solvents, and low power consumption [10,11,12] These modifications tend to change the textile adhesion properties [13]. It is well-known that plasma treatments (when operated under optimal conditions, using inert gases such as air or nitrogen) only affect the first few subsurface atomic layers while preserving the overall bulk properties [8]
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