Polyester hydrophobicity enhancement via UV-Ozone irradiation, chemical pre-treatment and fluorocarbon finishing combination

Enhancement in polyester substrates hydrophobicity was carried out by surface modification via chemical pre-treatment, UV-Ozone irradiation and fluorocarbon finishing combinations, which are referred to as CUF-process in this paper. Polyester fabrics were impregnated with different chemicals (Na2CO3, H2O2, H2O2/Na2SiO3, NaOH and CH3NH2) before UV-Ozone gases exposure to investigate the effects of these precursor surface pre-impregnation on the effectiveness of UV-Ozone modification and final superhydrophobicity formation. The changes in substrate properties were by measuring 3 M water repellency (Water/Alcohol Drop Test), water sliding angle (WSA), water contact angle (WCA), wash and abrasion fastness, air permeability, tensile strength and visual appearance of treated fiber surfaces via SEM. The results indicated the usefulness of UV-Ozone treatment for creating proper surface roughness to improve the hydrophobicity of polyester fabrics after fluorocarbon finishing, especially when the fabric was pre-treated with NaOH and H2O2 solutions. The lowest WSA value of 7.9° and the highest WCA of 142.2° were achieved on polyester fabrics using pre-treatment with 60 g/l NaOH and 42 ml/l H2O2 CUF-treatments. Also, the obtained highest water repellency levels and the best air permeability properties led to significant increase in the substrate hydrophobicity did not show any adverse effect on tensile properties and strength deterioration. © 2016 Elsevier B.V