Improved dyeing property of polyphenylene sulfide fibers by electron beam irradiation

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fiber, as a high-performance material, exhibits exceptional heat resistance, chemical stability, and mechanical properties, making it widely used in environmental protection, chemical filtration, and military applications. However, its poor dyeability limits its application in textiles. In this study, PPS fibers were subjected to electron beam (EB) irradiation at various absorbed doses and subsequently evaluated for their dyeing performance with disperse dyes. The results demonstrated that EB irradiation improved dyeability by altering the surface structure of PPS fibers. At an irradiation dose of 120 kGy, the fiber surface became rougher, the crystallinity decreased significantly from 25.89% to 11.68%, and the water contact angle decreased from 141° to 111°. Dyeing performance tests indicated that the color strength increased from 2.5 to 9.6 and the dye uptake increased from 18% to 77%.