Study of Selectively Permeable Coatings to Textiles
- PDF / 299,524 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 432 x 648 pts Page_size
- 83 Downloads / 174 Views
Study of Selectively Permeable Coatings to Textiles Joseph G. Sargent1, Jun S. Lee2, Emmanuelle Reynaud1, Michael D. Gilbert3, and James M. Sloan4 Department of 1Mechanical and 2Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts of Lowell, One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, U.S.A. 3 EIC Laboratories Inc., Norwood, MA 02062 4 U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005 ABSTRACT Breathable barrier textiles for both chemical agent and moisture are being actively developed for military and industrial applications. An ideal approach is to coat textiles with a semi-permeable film that allows the transport of water while still serving as a barrier for chemical agents. Sulfonated poly (styrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene) (SIBS) copolymer spontaneously phase separates upon drying from solution to produce a nanostructured film with the controlled barrier functionality for water permeation and repelling of chemical agents. The objective of this research is to investigate coating uniformity and phase morphology of SIBS coating materials fabricated by novel solvent combinations. Scanning electron microscopy analysis is used for the assessment of the coating uniformity as well as the level of adhesion between the polymer coating and fabric substrate. Transmission electron microscopy is used to characterize the phase separation morphology of the SIBS copolymer coating. The mechanical behavior of the coated fabric is determined through tensile and shear tests and is compared to the bare fabric behavior. The goal of this study is to relate the processing conditions of the final nanostructured block copolymer coated fabric produced on industrial scale. INTRODUCTION The need for a breathable as well as durable polymer coated fabric for use as protective material in clothing has resulted in the development of a block copolymer film possessing both the desired membrane [1] and mechanical properties [2]. The block copolymer system developed consists of sulfonated polystyrene-block-polyisobutylene-block-polystyrene. It is the phase separated structure of the polymer that makes it an effective barrier to chemical agents while still allowing for the ionic diffusion of water molecules. The copolymer is prepared for processing by being dissolved in a combination of solvents. Studies have shown that the solvents used [3], as well as the evaporation rate [4], can have an effect on how copolymer phases separate. Work is currently being done to identify an industrial process which will produce a coating with the morphology necessary for sufficient semi-permeable membrane performance as well as the desired mechanical properties. The work presented here is a study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a woven cotton/nylon blend fabric coated with sulfonated polystyrene-isobutylene-styrene block copolymer. A mixture of solvents and SIBS copolymer has been applied on the fabric through a blade process, followed by heating for solvent evaporation. The microstructure of the coating is characterized through th
Data Loading...
