A Novel Moisture-Wicking and Fast-Drying Functional Bicomponent Fabric

Abstract

To prevent discomfort caused by perspiration adhering to the skin during exercise, it is necessary to develop fabrics with moisture-wicking and fast-drying properties. Polytrimethylene terephthalate/polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PTT/PET) bicomponent filament is typically characterized by a shaped cross section, which is conducive to moisture transfer. However, there has been a paucity of research into the development of PTT/PET bicomponent filament into moisture-wicking and fast-drying knitted fabrics. In this study, we developed double-sided weft knitted fabrics with moisture-wicking and fast-drying functions based on PTT/PET bicomponent filament. We then designed and knitted four kinds of weft knitted fabrics, i.e., interlock, pique, honeycomb and ottoman, with the objective of characterizing the moisture-wicking and fast-drying performances of the fabrics in terms of four indexes. The moisture-wicking and fast-drying performance of the knitted fabrics was characterized in terms of four indicators: water absorption rate, wicking height, drip diffusion time and drying rate. The results demonstrated that the ottoman fabric exhibited a water absorption rate of up to 214%, a wicking height of up to 192 mm, a drip diffusion time of up to 0.7 s and a drying rate of up to 0.446 g/h, showing excellent moisture-wicking and fast-drying performance. The water contact angle of the front and back sides of the fabrics revealed a difference in the moisture-wicking properties of the front and back sides of pique, honeycomb and ottoman knitted fabrics. This bicomponent fabric has potential application for functional sportswear in the future.