What You Need to Know About Polyester Functional Fabric

Polyester Functional Fabric is one of the most popular fabrics in the world. It's used in thousands of different applications, from clothing to car parts. However, despite its popularity, polyester isn't without its problems. It has a negative impact on the environment at every stage of its life cycle, from production to use. Here's what you need to know about this type of fabric and how it can be improved to be more environmentally friendly.

Polyester is a synthetic fiber that's derived from petroleum. It's commonly used in a variety of textile applications and is also a common raw material for plastics and other durable molded products. While some plant-based forms of polyester are available, the majority of polyester is sourced from fossil fuels, which are limited resources. The extraction and refining of these fuels releases toxins into the environment, harming living things both in the water and on land.

As a result, the polyester industry has a large impact on the global environment. However, many companies are working to reduce their ecological footprint by using more sustainable materials and processes. One way that they're doing this is by combining polyester with natural materials to create more eco-friendly clothing. While this is a good step in the right direction, there are still some concerns about the environmental impact of polyester.

The most well-known use of polyester is as a clothing material. It's used to make everything from shirts and pants to coats and dresses. It's also a popular choice for upholstery and other home furnishings. However, there are some issues with polyester clothing, such as its lack of breathability. This can lead to odors and heat retention, which can be uncomfortable for wearers.

To address this issue, researchers have developed a technique for making polyester fabric more breathable. They treated the fabric with a special hydrophobic finishing process that uses non-fluorine compounds instead of the harmful fluorine-based treatments often employed in textile finishing. The research team tested the finished polyester fabrics for static and dynamic water repellency, resistance to conventional water-based liquids, abrasion performance, air permeability, and micro and nano-morphology of the surface. They also analyzed the number of bacteria on the fabric after several washing cycles and found that the treatment significantly reduced the amount of bacteria present on the fabric.

The researchers found that the hydrophobic finishing on the polyester fabrics increased their tensile strength, elongation at break, and bending length. It also improved the crease recovery angle of the fabric. This indicates that the coating penetrated into the microscopic structure of the polyester and established covalent or electrostatic chemical interactions with it. This was likely due to the presence of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the polyester polymer chains. The results indicate that this method can be a good substitute for existing textile finishing techniques, which often employ phenol-based or perfluoroalkoxysilanes. This could help the garment industry move away from harmful chemicals and produce more comfortable clothes that are safer for the environment.