关键词: 无锑ZnO抗菌聚酯织物, 纤维结构, 工艺优化, 染色, 色牢度

Abstract: "The polyester (PET) fiber has experienced exceptional growth due to its superior heat resistance, light resistance, chemical stability, dimensional stability, and the ease of availability of production raw materials, making it a leader among synthetic fibers. However, the polyester fiber is hydrophobic with poor air permeability, making it prone to bacteria growth when used in humid and hot conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to give polyester fabric good water absorption and antibacterial properties to improve its wearing comfort. On the other hand, the synthesis of polyester mostly uses antimony-based catalysts. Antimony-based catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic performance and have mature catalytic processes, but antimony is a heavy metal that is harmful to the body. In line with the trend of eco-friendly and comfortable functional development of polyester fibers, some enterprises have successfully developed antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fiber products using non-antimony catalytic polymerization. However, the change in catalyst during the synthesis process of antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fiber may lead to alterations in the fiber’s structure. Both the structural changes in the fiber and the catalyst itself can potentially affect the dyeing performance of the polyester fabric. In addition, during high-temperature dyeing of antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fabrics, there is an issue of nano-ZnO dissolution, which not only leads to the loss of antibacterial function of the fiber fabric but also affects the dyeing uniformity, making the dyeing process more challenging. In order to obtain good dyeing properties for antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fabrics, this study took such fabrics as the research object and employed SEM, XRD, DSC, TG, and other testing methods to examine the microstructure and thermal properties of the fibers. Based on these analyses, high-temperature and high-pressure dyeing process was adopted to investigate the impact of dyeing factors such as dyeing temperature, holding time, and dyeing pH on the dye uptake rate and K/S value of the fiber. The dyeing process conditions were optimized, and the K/S value and color fastness of the dyed fabric were determined and compared with those of ZnO antibacterial polyester fabrics. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fiber before and after dyeing was measured to assess the impact of the dyeing process on their antibacterial properties. The results showed that the antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fiber was a cross-shaped fiber. Compared with ZnO antibacterial polyester fibers, the antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fibers exhibited a lower glass transition temperature of 67.6°C and a lower crystallinity of 23.43%. The optimum dyeing process conditions for antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fiber fabric were as follows: dyeing temperature of 130 ℃, dyeing holding time of 60 minutes, and dyeing pH of 5. When the amount of dye was 1%(o.w.f), the dye uptake rate reached 86%, and the K/S value was up to 12. The dyed fabric exhibited a washing fastness of grade 4 and rubbing fastness of grade 5. Compared with ZnO antibacterial polyester fibers, antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fibers demonstrated a higher dye uptake rate and K/S value. Additionally, the dyeing process had a minor impact on the antibacterial properties of the antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fabrics."

Key words: antimony-free ZnO antibacterial polyester fabric, fiber structure, process optimization, dyeing, color fastness