Surface treatment by RF cold plasma on polyester fibres used in chemically bonded nonwovens and consequence on adhesion between fibre and binder.

Nonwovens (NW) are innovative textile materials and can be used in many fields including medical, hygiene, transport, civil engineering, etc.. They are sheet-like fabrics made up of fiber webs which are bonded either chem., mech. or thermally. Among all consolidation methods, chem.-bonded-NW are still widely used because of the extended range of binder flexibility, durability and the versatility of their final properties. The purpose of the present study is to investigate surface treatment by Radio Frequency (RF) cold plasma on polyester fibers in order to improve the adhesion mechanism with copolymer acrylic binders, the ultimate aim being to limit the amts. of chem. binder used for environmental and economical reasons. The phys. modifications on fiber surface are examd. using at. force microscopy (AFM), and the chem. modifications are discussed after surface anal. of fibers by XPS. The pull-out test was used to characterize the interfacial shear strength between fiber and matrix

Effect of spin finish on fiber/binder adhesion in chemically bonded nonwovens.

International audienceThe purpose of this study is to better understand the mechanisms governing the phenomena of fiber/matrix adhesion by controlling the fiber surface properties. This adhesion is evaluated by studying the micromech. and thermodynamical behavior of the fiber/matrix interface. The complexity of the interactions at the interface requires a global approach that takes into account the chem., morphol., and mechanics. The thermodynamical affinity between the binder and fibers is evaluated by the wetting behavior, whereas the mech. resistance of the fiber/matrix interface is characterized with the pull-out test. Three distinct approaches are used to classify the different systems according to the nature of the binder and the fiber surface. It is found that there is better adhesion when the spin finish is removed from the fibers, revealing the surface roughness on which the latex can mech. anchor