Surface Modification On Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Fabric And The Study On Electroless Deposition Process

In order to develop a novel fabric with the property of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) shielding, electroless deposition method was employed to metallize poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric. PET fabric was chosen as the depositing matrix, which is depositable, with good strength and low price.Different pretreatments were studied to improve the properties of electroless deposition. The result shows that the coating treatment is able to improve the washing property, but may harden the fabric. Alkali de-weighting treatment improved the absorption of metal and its ion on fiber when sensitizing and activating, and help to cohere the matrix and the deposition in the process of electroless deposition. 2 to 3 hours of treatment is preferable. The best experimental condition of corona treatment is while the output is 800VA and the treating speed is 3m/min. But the corona treatment may result in an uneven surface. Plasma treatment with and Ar elevated the soakage of fabric, and N₂ plasma may help to improve the washing property. The process of electroless copper deposition and electroless nickel deposition were studied. It shows that, the two steps sensitize- activate is applicable to electroless copper deposition on PET fabric, while the colloid Pd activation is to electroless nickel deposition on the copper deposit. Formula with Rochelle salt as the complexing agent and formaldehyde as the reducer for electroless copper deposition resulted in deposition with better washing property. The preferred range of plating time of electroless nickel deposition is from 3 to 5 min, which means that the surface luster and the washing property of deposit may be controlled by changing the plating time. Coating treatment was employed as the after treatment, and the coating composed of SL-A01 and water has a better protection to the deposit.Lastly, the EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the copper deposited fabric and the copper/nickel deposited fabric were studied. It turned out that, the EMI shielding fabrics prepared have relatively high EMI SE.