SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF POLYESTER FABRICS INDUCED BY EXCIMER-LASER PROCESSING

Induced properties of polyester fabric due to irradiation of excimer l aser, including surface luster, wettability, dyeability and stability of the resulting micro-structures in the fibre surface, are investigat ed. After excimer laser treatment, the irradiated polyester fabric sam ples exhibit better hydrophobicity at room temperature and the dyeabil ity of the fabric is improved. The study on surface reflectance shows that excimer laser treatment results in a reduction and a more uniform distribution of fabric glossiness: the treated polyester fabric sampl es have a silk-like appearance. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) obs ervation reveals that the resulting structures on the fibre surface is virtually unaffected by hot air and hot water and is chemically as st able as its untreated counterpart.