The Influence of Treatment Conditions on the Quantity and Composition of Oligomers Extracted from Polyester Fabric

We investigate the influence of treatment conditions of polyester (PES) fabric on the quantity of extracted oligomers and their composition. Oligomers are extracted by petroleum ether and dichloromethane. The quantities of oligomers from the treated and untreated fabrics are determined gravimetrically, whereas the composition of the oligo meric extract is determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The quantity of extracted oligomers decreases with alkaline pretreatment prior to acid dyeing or with an alkaline dyeing process. GPC chromatograms show that all oligomeric extracts consist mainly of cyclic trimers. The treatment conditions of PES fabric have only a slight influence on the breaking stress and elongation of the fabric. Alkaline pretreatment before acid and alkaline dyeings of PES fabric greatly decreases overall flexural rigidity compared with acid dyed fabric.