Development of novel photoluminescent fibers from recycled polyester waste using plasma-assisted dyeing toward ultraviolet sensing and protective textiles

Polyester fibers have been applied in many industrial fields, such as plastic furniture, automotive parts, medical devices, and liquid crystal displays. However, polyester has been inherently resistant to dyeing owing to the absence of active staining sites. Herein, we present the preparation of new photoluminescent fibers starting from recycled polyester waste using plasma-assisted dyeing with the recyclable lanthanide-doped strontium aluminate nanoparticles. Nanostructured thin film of lanthanide-doped strontium aluminate nanoscale particles (3–8 nm) was immobilized onto polyester surface after plasma pretreatment, which generates reactive dyeing spots on the fibrous surface. Using photoluminescence spectra and CIE (Commission Internationale de L'éclairage) Lab parameters, the photoluminescent polyester fibers displayed various colors, including white in visible light and green under ultraviolet rays. After excitation at 382 nm, the photoluminescent thin layer on the fiber surface exhibited an emission peak of 439 nm. Various methods were utilized to inspect the morphology and elemental contents of the polyester fibers immobilized with phosphor nanoparticles. The superhydrophobicity of the phosphor-dyed polyester fibers was found to increase in direct proportion to the phosphor content, displaying improved sliding and static contact angles up to 155.8° and 8°, respectively. The results demonstrated that the dyed fibers had improved colorfastness, ultraviolet (UV) shielding, superhydrophobicity and antimicrobial activity. Both bending-length and air-permeability of dyed polyester fibers was evaluated to indicate good mechanical and comfort properties.