UV irradiation-assisted grafting of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics

This paper reports the functionalisation of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface using an irradiation method under a stream of reactive gas (chlorine). The polyester textile fabric was directly exposed to UVC irradiation (wavelength of approximately 254 nm) under a continuous flow of gaseous chlorine in a solvent-free process. Different amounts of chlorine atoms were fixed to the surface of the fabric based on the experimental conditions. The amount of chlorine on the treated fabric was as much as 4.6% (w/w, oven dried material). First, the modified and virgin fabrics were thoroughly extracted to remove the physically adsorbed molecules. Then, these fabrics were characterised via several techniques including SEM, FTIR-ATR, DSC and XPS. The grafting was confirmed by analysing the fabric surface using MEB (EDS) and XPS (the presence of chlorine atoms). However, the bulk properties remained unchanged. The modified surface was more easily dyed with a cationic dye.