Fabric prepared from fluorinated polyester blend yarns
View Patent ↗Woven, knit, and non-woven fabrics, and garments and other textile goods fabricated therefrom, are prepared from yarns comprising fibers comprising a fluorinated polyester blend prepared by melt blending a fluorovinyl ether functionalized polyester with a non-fluorinated polyester. The fluoroether functionalized polyester can be a homopolymer or a copolymer. The goods so produced exhibit durable soil, oil, and water repellency.
1. A fabric comprising a plurality of filaments, at least a portion of the filaments comprising a blend composition comprising a first aromatic polyester selected from the group consisting of: poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN), poly(ethylene isophthalate), poly(trimethylene isophthalate), poly(butylene isophthalate), mixtures thereof, and copolymers thereof, and a second aromatic polyester in contact therewith, wherein the second aromatic polyester is present in the blend composition at a concentration in the range of 0.1 to 10% by weight of the total composition; and, wherein the second aromatic polyester comprises a molar concentration in the range of 40 to 100 mol-% of fluorovinylether functionalized repeat units represented by structure I
wherein,
Ar represents a benzene or naphthalene radical;
each R is independently H, C 1 -C 10 alkyl, C 5 -C 15 aryl, C 6 -C 20 arylalkyl; OH, or a radical represented by the structure (II)
with the proviso that only one R can be OH or the radical represented by the structure II;
R 1 is a C 2 - C 4 alkylene radical which can be branched or unbranched;
X is O or CF 2 ;
Z is H or Cl;
a=0 or 1; and,
Q represents the structure (Ia)
wherein q=0-10;
Y is O or CF 2 ;
R f 1 is (CF 2 ) n , wherein n is 0-10;
and,
R f 2 is (CF 2 ) p , wherein p is 0-10, with the proviso that when p is 0, Y is CF 2 .
2. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the first aromatic polyester is poly(trimethylene terephthalate).
3. The fabric of claim 1 wherein, in the second aromatic polyester the fluorovinylether functionalized repeat unit represented by Structure I is dimethyl 5-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(1,1,2,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-(perfluoropropoxy)propoxy)ethoxy) isophthalate.
4. The fabric of claim 3 wherein, in the second aromatic polyester, the dimethyl 5-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(1,1,2,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-(perfluoropropoxy)propoxy)ethoxy) isophthalate is present at a molar concentration in the range of 40 to 60 mol-%.
5. The fabric of claim 1 wherein, in the second aromatic polyester the fluorovinylether functionalized repeat unit represented by Structure I is dimethyl 5-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(perfluoropropoxy)ethoxy) isophthalate.
6. The fabric of claim 5 wherein the dimethyl 5-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(perfluoropropoxy)ethoxy) isophthalate is present at a molar concentration in the range of 40 to 60 mol-%.
7. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the first aromatic polyester is poly(trimethylene terephthalate), the second aromatic polyester is present at a concentration in the range of 1-3% by weight, and wherein in the second aromatic polyester, the fluorovinylether functionalized repeat unit represented by Structure I is dimethyl 5-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(1,1,2,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-(perfluoropropoxy)propoxy)ethoxy) isophthalate present at a molar concentration of 40-60 mol-%.
8. The fabric of claim 1 further comprising individual filaments having a denier per filament in the range of 15 to 25.
9. The fabric of claim 1 further comprising individual filaments having a denier per filament in the range of 1 to 3.
10. The fabric of claim 8 further comprising individual filaments having a cross-sectional shape in the form of a modified delta.
11. The fabric of claim 1 in the form of a woven or knit fabric.
12. The fabric of claim 1 in the form of a non-woven.
13. A garment fabricated from the fabric of claim 11 or 12 .
14. A tent, sleeping bag, blanket, or tarpaulin fabricated from the fabric of claim 11 or 12 .