Ethylene Glycol and Glycerin as the Solvent for Alkaline Treatment of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Fabrics

Abstract

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics are treated with sodium hydroxide using ethylene glycol or glycerin as the solvent. Compared with conventional aqueous alkaline hydrolysis, the degradation rate in ethylene glycol increases tenfold. The kinetics of the alkaline-ethylene glycol treatment show that the weight loss is linear with respect to time. The moisture regain rate and tensile properties of the treated fabrics are measured; other tests include scanning electron microscopy and dyeing properties. The results show that the properties of the treated fabrics do not depend significantly on the solvent; therefore, using ethylene glycol can greatly shorten the treatment time to achieve results similar to those with the conventional aqueous system.

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