The effects of different catalysis on surface modification of polyester substrate via glycolysis

Surface modification of polyester fabric via controlled glycolysis was investigated in an attempt to study the effect of different catalysts to manipulate the reaction rate. Ionic liquids and other catalysts were included sodium sulfate(SS), acetic acid(AA) and urea(U). The changes on substrate properties were evaluated by measuring polyester fabric hygroscopy using vertical wicking height(VW), water absorption time(WT), moisture regain(MR) and accumulation of static charge, anti static(AS). In addition, the effect of glycolysis on conformational changes on PET was investigated by ATR analysis. Glycolysis, an exclusively method for recycling of PET, was investigated for surface modification of a polyester fabric The results indicated that, the glycolysis was greatly affected by the catalysts with obtained the best enhancement in wetting behavior by the ionic liquid. PET fabric hidrophilicity, wetting and antistatic properties could be significantly enriched while the bending properties are also improved.