Improvement of serviceability properties of synthetic textile fabrics using 172 nm ultraviolet excimer lamp

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To increase wettability of synthetic textile fibers and serviceability properties of the fabrics, the 172 nm ultraviolet (UV) excimer light exposure was carried out in ambient air. Model polymer surfaces, polyethylene, nylon and acetate, were prepared on the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and their detergency was investigated from the frequency change of the QCM due to cleaning. The removal of long-chain fatty acid in the aqueous detergent solutions was explained in terms of the free energy change resulting from the penetration of the detergent solution between the fatty acid film and the substrate in the zone of contact. The deposition of polymer particles onto the polymer surfaces in water/ethanol mixture was consistent with the total potential energy of interaction calculated on the basis of the extended DLVO theory. In addition, the changes in the hydrophilic properties and the detergency of the above polyethylene surface due to the UV irradiation were successfully evaluated by the QCM simulation. Moreover, the experimental results obtained using the commercially available polymer films indicated the validity of the UV treatment on the polymer surface.The 172 nm ultraviolet (UV) excimer light was exposed to textile fabrics of acetate, nylon 6, poly (ethylene terephthalate), acrylic and polypropylene. No significant changes in the tensile extension parameters and the surface reflectance of the fabrics due to the UV exposure were observed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS) and the atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the UV irradiation to the PET fabrics increased oxygen concentration and roughness on the single fiber surfaces. As is expected, remarkable increase in wettability of the single fiber was accomplished and hence the capillary wetting and the moisture absorption of the fabrics were successfully enhanced by the UV treatment. In addition, detergency and dyeability were found to improve after the UV treatment.