Weight Reduction of Sea-island-type PTT/PET Conjugate Fiber and Dyeing of Polytrimethylene Terephthalate Flock Microfibers

The weight reduction behavior of short sea-island polytrimethylene terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate (PTT/PET) conjugate fibers, the dyeing properties of the resulting PTT flock microfibers with five disperse dyes, and the fastness of the flocked fabric were investigated for a new flocking process application, which mitigates the drawbacks of the existing process. The weight reduction ratio of the PTT/PET conjugate fiber depends on the temperature, time, and concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution used in the alkali treatment. The optimum treatment condition to obtain the theoretical weight reduction ratio and PTT microfiber separation was determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When the PTT flock microfibers were dyed with five disperse dyes, the adsorption or dyeing rates of the low- and medium-energy disperse dyes were higher than those of the high-energy disperse dyes. The high-energy disperse dyes exhibited good color yield, suggesting good build-up properties. The wash fastness was poor to good, the rubbing fastness was poor to moderate, and the light fastness was fair to moderate.