Synthesis of hydrophilic-hydrophobic copolymer as finishing agent for polyester fabric

Abstract

A hydrophilic-hydrophobic copolymer for surface modification of polyester fabric was prepared by a partial substitution of hydroxyl groups of poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) with benzoyl chloride. FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy were employed to follow the chemical reaction. Such synthesized copolymer was applicable to polyester fabric by conventional dispersion dyeing methods. By applying such textile finishing agent, it was aimed to impart durable hydrophilicity to polyester fabric by anchoring hydrophobic segment and hydrophilic segment on the polyester surface. Surface analysis of treated fabrics before and after solvent extraction using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the finishing agent adhered firmly on the fiber surface. Wettability of treated fabrics was evaluated by measuring complete wetness time by standard methods of AATCC and Du Pont. It was found that wetness of treated fabrics improved significantly when compared to untreated polyester fabric. Furthermore, it was found that treated fabrics dyed with disperse dyes had better heat fastness than untreated fabric. An improvement of heat fastness was due to the barrier effect of hydrophilic layers of modified polyester surface on the migration of hydrophobic disperse dyes.