Author(s): Pinto, Sara ; Miranda, Teresa ; Kašparová, Marie ; Wiener, Jakub
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/89908
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Polyester; Chemical Functionalization; Alkaline Hydrolysis; NaOH; Poly (vinyl alcohol); PVA; Influence of pH; Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias
Due to the growing demand of the textile market, the production of synthetic fibers like polyester, which are produced from fossil fuels, has been increasing compared to any other existing fiber group. However, this type of fiber has its own disadvantages, the main one being its hydrophobic nature [1, 2]. To improve its properties, it was sought to develop a chemical functionalization. This process consisted of three steps, the first one being the cleaning of the polyester with hydrochloric acid, followed by a subsequent hydrolysis of the textile substrate in an alkaline medium in the presence of sodium hydroxide. The last phase, that concerns the textile substrate functionalization with poly (vinyl alcohol), more commonly known as PVA, by a process of exhaustion at different pH values (3, 6 and 10), followed by a curing, which allowed the formation of bonds between the PVA and the polyester fibers and consequently improve polyester properties. This process functionalization of the polyester with PVA at acidic pH, led to very promising results since a significant improvement of its properties was obtained. The functionalized and original polyester samples were further characterized through the application of several techniques, such as SEM, FTIR-ATR and DSC. These characterization techniques allowed to prove that the textile substrates were effectively modified.
FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136)
