One-step method for stain proofing finishing of polyester fabric in supercritical carbon dioxide

Traditional finishing methods for textiles manufacture usually involve burdensome processes and heavy pollutions, which can no longer meet the green and sustainable developments of modern textile industry. In this work, a green and eco-friendly method was developed for the stain proofing or namely the tri-proofing (water-, oil- and soil-proofing) finishing of polyester with one-step process in supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide (SCF-CO2). The effects of the dosage of tri-finishing agent, system temperature, pressure and duration on the tri-proofing performances of polyester were investigated, and a mechanism for supercritical tri-proofing finishing was further supposed. The achieved results demonstrate that the developed supercritical one-step process for tri-proofing finishing has good feasibility for preparing functional polyester fabric, and satisfactory processing performances and efficiency were obtained along with 4-grade or above for water- and soil-proofing, and 6-grade for oil-proofing on polyester. Moreover, the surface morphology and components of the polyester were effectively modified via the supercritical tri-proofing finishing, which was verified by SEM (Scanning electron microscope) and FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared) analysis. Additionally, in comparison with the control substrate, an ignorable influence on the air permeability of the finished polyester was also available along with a comparable washing fastness. The repetitive washing had no considerable affect on water- and soil-proofing performances, while the oil-proofing grade slightly dropped. All results distinctly show that the supercritical tri-proofing finishing not only affords a promising strategy for imparting polyester with durable and multifunctional performances, but also is a powerful way with eco-friendly characteristics involving broad application markets.