Moisture absorption, perspiration and thermal conductive polyester fabric prepared by thiol-ene click chemistry with reduced graphene oxide finishing agent

This paper reports on a novel method of endowing PET fabric with the properties of moisture absorption, perspiration and thermal conductivity. We firstly synthesized hydrophilic finishing agent with polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) and isocyanatoethyl methacrylate. Then mercapto-functionalized reduced graphene oxide was dispersed into the hydrophilic finishing agent and applied on mercapto modified PET fabric to form chemical bonding through thiol-ene click chemistry under UV radiation. The process was confirmed by Fourier transforms infrared spectra and scanning electron microscope. Liquid moisture performance on the fabric was evaluated by Moisture Management Tester, and thermal conductivity is characterized by changes in the fabric temperature under a forward-looking infrared. The results revealed that the wetting time, absorption rate, spreading speed and max wetted radius of the treated fabric reached level 4 or above, and one-way transport capability achieved level 3. Besides, the thermal conductivity was obviously improved, indicating this fabric has great potential applications in sportswear fields.