Patent ID: 11946197
Assignee: JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY
Field: Textile and paper machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC D  Y | IPC C  D

Claim 0:
1. A method for increasing hydrophilicity of polyester fibers, which comprises:
a) mixing a swelling agent of phenol solution or an o-vanillin solution with the polyester fibers at a temperature of 90° C. to 120° C. for about 3 to 5 hours to produce swollen polyester fibers, and
b) adding a Humicola insolens cutinase solution comprising 100 U/mL cutinase at a pH of 8 to the swollen polyester fibers at a temperature of about 60° C. for about 24 hours, thereby increasing hydrophilicity of the polyester,
wherein increasing the hydrophilicity of the polyester fibers is measured by release of hydrolysates comprising terephthalic acid (TPA) and mono (2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET) during cutinase treatment and comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of ester bonds in the swollen polyester fibers to increase an amount of hydrophilic groups on the swollen polyester fibers, and
wherein the amount of TPA and MHET released by the swollen polyester fibers is increased by 51.7% to 67.5% as compared with polyester fibers not treated with the phenol solution or o-vanillin solution.