The use of mussel-inspired polydopamine interlayer for high-efficiency surface functionalization of PET fabrics

Abstract The surface modifications of polymer materials are carried out to improve surface properties, add new functionalities and thus enlarge their application areas. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly used textile fabric to achieve functional properties via surface modification techniques. However, its inert and non-reactive nature necessitates an activation process before the surface modification to create functional surfaces. Plasma treatment and chemical methods are commonly used for this aim. However, these techniques can easily damage the surface of the PET fabric and result in decreased mechanical properties. In this study, we proposed a new method to activate the surface of PET using polydopamine (PDA) interlayer, known as substrate-independent coating material, to form a better and more homogenous polyaniline (PAni) coating via an in-situ polymerization technique. The surface appearance of the samples was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, and the distribution of elements was analyzed using an energy-dispersive (EDS) detector. Thermal properties of the samples were explored using thermogravimetric analyses and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to compare the chemical structures of the coated and uncoated samples. It was found that the PDA interlayer between PAni and PET significantly reduced the sheet resistance by providing more homogenous and chemically stable PAni coatings. Moreover, the effect of the PDA and PAni coating on the optical properties was investigated, and it was found that the PDA + PAni coated fabric exhibited a maximum of 10% reflectance in the range of 400 and 700 nm while uncoated fabric showed over 90%.