Influence of atmospheric-air plasma on the coating of a nonionic lubricating agent on polyester fiber

This research work involves the plasma treatment of polyethylene terephthalate fiber to improve the performance of a nonionic lubricating agent. To do this, a polyester fabric was pre-scoured with a detergent, treated with atmospheric-air plasma and then coated with a nonionic emulsion. Chemical and physical properties of the samples were investigated by the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, bending lengths, wrinkle recovery angles, fiber friction coefficient analysis, moisture absorbency, scanning electron microscopy and reflectance spectroscopy. The study on the chemical properties of the fibers revealed that the plasma pretreatment modifies the surface of the fibers and increases the reactivity of the substrate toward nonionic emulsion. The physical properties of the textiles indicated that the combination of plasma and emulsion treatments on polyester can improve crease resistance, drapeability and water repellency due to a uniform coating of the emulsion on the surface of the textiles.

plasma; polyester; drapeability; moisture regain