Engineering of Fibrous Smart Materials, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
Biotechnol J. 2011 Oct;6(10):1219-29. doi: 10.1002/biot.201100115. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
This study focuses on a microgel-based functionalization method applicable to polyester textiles for improving their hydrophilicity and/or moisture-management properties, eventually enhancing wear comfort. The method proposed aims at achieving pH-/temperature-controlled wettability of polyester within a physiological pH/temperature range. First, primary amine groups are created on polyester surfaces using ethylenediamine; second, biopolymer-based polyelectrolyte microgels are incorporated using the natural cross-linker genipin. The microgels consist of the pH-responsive natural polysaccharide chitosan and pH/thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microparticles. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the microgel presence on polyester surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed nitrogen concentration, supporting increased microscopy results. Electrokinetic analysis showed that functionalized polyester surfaces have a zero-charge point at pH 6.5, close to the microgel isoelectric point. Dynamic wetting measurements revealed that functionalized polyester has shorter total water absorption time than the reference. This absorption time is also pH dependent, based on dynamic contact angle and micro-roughness measurements, which indicated microgel swelling at different pH values. Furthermore, at 40 °C functionalized polyester has higher vapor transmission rates than the reference, even at high relative humidity. This was attributed to the microgel thermoresponsiveness, which was confirmed through the almost 50% decrease in microparticle size between 20 and 40 °C, as determined by dynamic light scattering measurements.
本研究专注于一种基于微凝胶的功能化方法，适用于聚酯纺织品，以提高其亲水性和/或调湿性能，最终提高穿着舒适度。所提出的方法旨在实现聚酯在生理 pH/温度范围内的 pH/温度控制润湿性。首先，使用乙二胺在聚酯表面上生成伯胺基团；其次，使用天然交联剂京尼平将基于生物聚合物的聚电解质微凝胶掺入。微凝胶由 pH 响应性天然多糖壳聚糖和 pH/温敏性聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺-co-丙烯酸）微球组成。扫描电子显微镜证实了微凝胶在聚酯表面的存在。X 射线光电子能谱法揭示了氮浓度，支持了增加的显微镜结果。电动分析表明，功能化聚酯表面在 pH 6.5 时具有零电荷点，接近微凝胶等电点。动态润湿测量表明，功能化聚酯的总水吸收时间比参比聚酯短。这种吸收时间也依赖于 pH，基于动态接触角和微观粗糙度测量，这表明微凝胶在不同 pH 值下发生膨胀。此外，在 40°C 时，功能化聚酯的蒸汽传输率比参比聚酯高，即使在相对湿度高的情况下也是如此。这归因于微凝胶的温敏性，这通过动态光散射测量确定的微球尺寸在 20 至 40°C 之间几乎减少了 50%得到证实。
