The impact of nitrogen low temperature plasma treatment upon the physical-chemical properties of polyester fabric

Thermal properties, light reflection, dye absorption, and resistance against bacteria growth have made fibers and textiles very important and applicable in industry. These are mainly attributed to the structure and the surface characteristics, and their modification appears to be very contribute to improving the properties of textiles. Most of the methods aimed at such modifications are implemented in a liquid phase. However, cold plasma has some primacy; it can be done in dry areas, does not have any environmental harm or pollution, and reduces the required energy. In this study, polyester was used and its surface properties were investigated under plasma treatment in nitrogen gas for 2?min irradiation with 1 and 2?keV ions with intensities of 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.1?mA. Changes in properties such as dyeability, thermal, and antibacterial activities of samples were investigated after plasma treatment. The results reveal that cold plasma treatment on polyester under nitrogen gas for 2?min has many suitable effects such as more disperse and acidic dye absorption, improvement of crystalline regions, and antibacterial activity in fabric. Besides, Fourier transform infrared shows that plasma treatment does not have any impact on the bulk properties of polyester fabric.