Abstract:

In order to improve the polyester hygroscopicity and antistatic property of polyester (PET) fiber, the blend master batch was prepared by blending the nano-sized superabsorbent sodium polyacrylate particles with conventional polyester, and its thermal properties, melt crystallization, hydrophilicity and rheological properties were researched. The results show that the hydrophilicity of polyester is significantly improved with addition of superabsorbent powder. The thermal stability of masterbatch is similar to that of ordinary polyester. A certain proportion of masterbatch is selected to mix with conventional polyester to manufacture staple fiber by melt spinning, and the hygroscopicity and antistatic property of the blended fibers were analyzed, respectively. The results show that the addition of superabsorbent micropowder improves the crystallization rate and the hydrophilicity of the blended polyester. The hygroscopicity and antistatic property of the blended fiber are also enhanced. The fiber with excellent mechanical properties is obtained by adding 4% of sodium polyacrylate, and its moisture absorption reaches 2.09% and the volume resistivity arrived 2.3 × 10⁹Ω ?cm.

Key words: sodium polyacrylate, polyester, blend, hygroscopocity, antistatic property