Antistatic Properties of Surface-Modified Polyester Fabrics

A poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric was modified by UV-induced graft po lymerization of water-soluble monomers to make the hydrophobic surface permanently hydrophilic without altering the bulk properties. The monomers were nonionic, an ionic, and cationic. The antistatic properties of the modified PET fabrics were studied by measuring the triboelectrostatic potential generated upon rubbing with a cotton fabric, the decay time of the electrostatic potential given by a high voltage application to the PET fabric, and the surface electric resistance. The antistatic properties were significantly improved by graft polymerization onto the surface region of PET fibers. The accumulated electrostatic charge was much smaller and disappeared much more rapidly when the PET fabric was grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (the average degree of polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) is 9) than with any other monomers studied. The acquired antistatic properties were maintained without sig nificant loss after washing and storage.