Abstract
Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), a semi-crystalline polyester, has been used in many applications because of its good dyeability and good mechanical properties such as elasticity. Sorona (DuPont) and Corterra (Shell Chemicals) are some trade names of PTT. We describe herein a PTT nanofibrous web fabricated by electrospinning, which is a simple technique for generating nanofibers from a polymer solution and a melt. PTT pellets were dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) followed by electrospinning to yield PTT nanofibers with an average diameter of $900{\pm}97nm$. Then, the PTT nanofibrous web was impregnated with a polyurethane (PU) solution. The resulting material had better mechanical properties and also displayed a lower water contact angle than the PTT nanofibers because a relatively hydrophilic PU was coated onto the PTT nanofibrous web. Additionally, the pilling property of the PU-impregnated PTT nanofibrous web was enhanced by the induced welding among the PTT nanofibers because of PU impregnation. The air permeability of the PTT nanofibrous web was evaluated both before and after PU-impregnation. The results indicated that the PU-impregnated PTT nanofibrous web could be used in various industrial applications.