Effect of Water-and Oil-Repellent Finish on Barrier Properties of Nonwoven Fabrics

발수발유가공처리가 부직포의 차단성능에 미치는 영향

Pesticide protective clothing has not been frequently worn due to its lack of thermal comfort. It is important to develop fabrics which can allow the wearer to work in comfort. One of the possible way to achieve the goal is to produce fabrics with a water- and oil-repellent finish which would resist pesticide penetration but maintain some breathability. The purpose of this study were to evaluate the pesticide barrier properties of untreated and water- and oil-repellent finished nonwoven fabrics. Three types of nonwoven fabrics(Tyvek, Sontara and Kimlon) were used as test specimens. By pad-dry-cure method, each of the specimen was treated with fluorocarbon. The pesticide barrier properties (amount of pesticide penetration and residue) were measured by the gas chromatography. The performance properties of untreated and treated specimens were evaluated with respects to water pepellency(KS K 0590), oil repellency(AATCC 118), water resistance(KS K 0591, AATCC 42), water vapor transmission (KS A 1013) and air permeability(KS K 0570). The results of this study were as follows : 1) The untreated Sontara showed much more amount of pesticide penetration than untreated Tyvek and Kimlon, while the treated Sontara showed little amount of pesticide penetration. 2) After laundering, the amount of pesticide residue in the untreated and treated Sontara was less than that in Tyvek and in Kimlon. 3) Water- and oil-repellent finish improved water repellency, oil repellency, and water resistance of specimens. 4) The untreated Sontara and Kimlon showed higher water vapor transmission and air permeability than untreated Tyvek. Water vapor transmission and air permeability of treated specimen decreased compared to those of untreated.