Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers by a cutinase from Fusarium oxysporum

• FoCut5a cutinase is capable of modifying the surface of PET fabrics.
• The process was optimized at 40 °C, pH 8 and enzyme loading of 1.92 mg/g fabric.
• Spectroscopic, chromatographic and dyeability analyses confirmed PET modification.
• The surface of PET fabric was modified maintaining its bulk properties.

Synthetic polyester fabrics occupy a great part of the textile industry production satisfying variable ordinary needs. Nonetheless, their high hydrophobicity constitutes an important weakness that impedes process manufacture, as well as permeability and evaporation of sweat when used in clothing industry. The enzymatic treatment of these materials is a modern and eco-friendly procedure that aims at the increase of the hydrophilicity through superficial modification. In this study, the enzymatic surface hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric is succeeded using a recombinant cutinase from Fusarium oxysporum. The effect of various parameters is studied for the enzymatic modification of PET, such as temperature, pH, enzyme loading and reaction time. The optimal parameters are found to be 40 °C, pH 8, and 1.92 mg enzyme loading per gram of fabric. The controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of PET textile is further confirmed and characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical methods, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) in the Attenuated Total Reflectance mode (ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tensile test and dyeability analyses were also employed achieving a K/S increase up to 150%, confirming the successful surface modification without degrading the quality of the starting material.

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