Environmentally friendly polypropylene/poly (trimethylene terephthalate) blend fibers: Resiliency and dyeability

Abstract

An environmentally friendly free-carrier technique was used to prepare poly propylene/poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PP/PTT) blend fibers. As PTT loading increased, its average diameter enhanced, and its distribution narrowed. In addition, the results of mechanical properties demonstrated that incorporating PTT into the PP matrix led to a decrease in tenacity and elongation-at-break. The more the PTT content, the less the tenacity and the elongation-at-break. Moreover, the crystallinity of PP enhanced by about 12% when 20 wt.% PTT was incorporated while melting and crystallization temperatures did not change remarkably. The molten blends indicated almost a Newtonian behavior. On the other hand, the storage modulus enhanced almost linearly in the frequency range of 1–1000 1/sec for all samples. Also, approximately 60% improvement in dyeability and 10% progress in resiliency behavior were observed. The dye uptake ability of samples was improved with the addition of PTT. In addition, the washing and light fastness of the blends were admissible for textile fibers. Generally, blends with PTT content less than 20 wt.% exhibited better physical and mechanical properties, especially resiliency behavior. Therefore, PP/PTT blend fibers are promising candidates for use in textiles in the coming years.