Dyeing behaviour of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge plasma treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric

This work aims at commending a continuous surface treatment device, which meets the requirement of textile material surface modification by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure for industry production. In the experiment, quasi-glow-discharge, a glow-discharge like plasma, is produced under atmospheric pressure with the continuous simple device. Through the discharge of mixture of Ar, N-2-Ar, and O-2-Ar, polyester fabric is continuously modified. The results reveal that the dyeability of the polyester fabric is dramatically improved. The spectral value (K/S) of the dyed polyester fabric is increased after the treatment. The dyeing fastness of the modified material remains the highest degree. That is to say, the improvement of the dyeability does not degrade the dyeing fastness of the material at all. The study of scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that the smooth and glossy surface of polyester fibre becomes rough after the treatment. The improvement of dyeability is attributed to the reaction of coarsenization and the introduction of functional groups in the surface during the treatment. This kind of device would play an active role in the future technological textile industry.