Antistatic Finishing and Conductivity
topic
Polyester's high surface resistivity (>10¹² Ω/sq dry) causes electrostatic charge accumulation. Antistatic agents: hygroscopic surfactants (quaternary ammonium salts, polyethylene glycol esters) coat the surface, absorbing moisture to form conductive layer, reducing resistivity to <10⁹ Ω/sq. Durable antistatic: conductive fibre (carbon black core/PET sheath bicomponent, resistivity <10⁶ Ω/sq) blended at 1–2% in fabric. Measured by AATCC 84 (surface resistivity) and AATCC 76 (charge decay).
Role
Antistatic performance is critical for industrial polyester (electronic manufacturing clean rooms, operating theatre textiles, transport) and for apparel comfort. The mechanism — moisture-mediated surface conductivity — is an important application of electrochemistry to textiles.