Abstract:

A serious drawback of the commonly used textiles of polyester/cotton fibres blends (PET/CO), especially those containing worse cotton brands, is their great susceptibility to form pilling, which adversely affects their performance durability and aesthetic values. Among the many methods of preventing this phenomenon, the thin-coating finishing performed by sol-gel methods provides interesting possibilities in this field. By a proper selection of precursors and synthesis method as well as the deposition of sols, it is possible to form xerogel coats on the fibre surface characterised by considerable hardness and abrasion resistance, thus reducing the formation of pilling, without any deterioration in the aesthetic values of textiles. Moreover, these coatings are strongly combined with the fibre surface and are resistant to the conditions of use and care, including multiple washing processes. The thin-coat finishing of this type also increases the abrasion resistance of textiles with a dominating content of polyester fibres, and thus it positively influences the performance value of textile fabrics. This paper presents the test results of using the hybrid modified SiO