Search

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A medium- and low-temperature disperse dye was applied as a dyeing material for poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) fibers using a cost-effective and scalable approach. The relationship between the dyeing process and thermal or dyeing properties, such as the dye uptake percentage and color fastness properties, was systematically investigated. Interestingly, with the increase of the C. I. Disperse Red 167 concentration from 2% o.w.f. (on weight of fiber) to 5% o.w.f. and dyeing temperature, the dyed PBT fibers correspondingly gained better color strength (28.7), an indication of a suitable dye uptake of 93.15%. Furthermore, the incorporation of the dye into PBT fibers improved the decomposition temperature and melting or crystallization temperature, and the storage modulus was higher than that of undyed PBT fibers using this simple approach. Therefore, these promising results would be a significant component to enhance or regulate the significant thermal stability of PBT fibers in the dyeing field. Also, they would go a long way to support the idea that the present approach is useful for further industrialization of the dyeing process because of its low cost and suitability for a large-scale process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyester has been widely used as an apparel and technical textile material in the form of fibers, films and plastics due to its excellent mechanical and physical properties. However, its poor surface properties have limited its end-use versatility. In this study, the surface of a polyester fabric was modified by atmospheric pressure plasma treatment with oxygen under different operating conditions to improve the hydrophilicity and dyeability of the fabric. The oxygen plasma-treated polyester surfaces were exposed to different treatment times and were analyzed to investigate the changes in the morphology and chemical nature of the surface by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction and by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The surface roughness of the fabric was improved by plasma etching, which was confirmed by SEM and X-ray diffraction, as well as the increased presence of oxygen-based functional groups on the polyester fabric, which was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy, resulted in an improvement in the fabric wettability. The color strength values of the oxygen plasma-treated fabric, dyed with disperse dyes at 100°C, were slightly higher than those obtained using the untreated fabric at 130°C. The surface roughness and K/S values of the treated fabric decreased as the ageing period was increased up to 42-63 days. The color fastness properties of the dyed oxygen plasma-treated fabric were excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]