Dr Matthieu Starck matthieu.starck@durham.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr Matthieu Starck matthieu.starck@durham.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Elle Fiandra emanuella.fiandra@durham.ac.uk
PGR Student Doctor of Philosophy
Josephine Binks josephine.binks@durham.ac.uk
PGR Student Doctor of Philosophy
Gang Si
Ruth Chilton
Mark Sivik
Dr Richard Thompson r.l.thompson@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Jing Li jing.li@durham.ac.uk
PGR Student Doctor of Philosophy
Professor Mark Wilson mark.wilson@durham.ac.uk
Professor
Dr Clare Mahon clare.mahon@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Soil-release polymers (SRPs) are important components of fabric care formulations, performing important roles in the cleaning of synthetic fabrics. SRPs modify the surface of textiles and render materials resistant to staining, while offering environmental benefits by enabling effective cleaning using shorter, cooler wash cycles. Most SRPs used in formulations contain petroleum-sourced terephthalic acid, limiting the environmental benefits presented by the use of these key additives. Here, we have prepared SRPs using a selection of pyridine dicarboxylate monomers that can be accessed from biomass and assessed their ability to modify polyester surfaces. Interestingly, a wide range of surface deposition behavior was observed, with soil-release performance significantly impacted by the pyridine dicarboxylate component in use. The performance of polymers containing 2,5-pyridine dicarboxylate units exceeded or was comparable to that of current industry-standard SRPs, while polymers constructed using 2,4- or 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylate units displayed poor performance. Through a range of studies including dynamic light scattering, contact angle analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular modeling we have explored the solution and interfacial behavior of SRPs and propose the observed changes in performance to arise from a combination of differences in solution self-assembly and variation in affinities for polyester surfaces. Our work highlights the potential of using biosourced starting materials in the replacement of petroleum-derived polymers within formulated consumer products and presents a rationale for the design of SRPs.
Starck, M., Fiandra, E. F., Binks, J., Si, G., Chilton, R., Sivik, M., Thompson, R. L., Li, J., Wilson, M. R., & Mahon, C. S. (2025). Surface Modification of Polyesters Using Biosourced Soil-Release Polymers. JACS Au, 5(2), 666-674. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.4c00908
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jan 28, 2025 |
Online Publication Date | Feb 5, 2025 |
Publication Date | Feb 24, 2025 |
Deposit Date | Feb 25, 2025 |
Publicly Available Date | Feb 25, 2025 |
Journal | JACS Au |
Print ISSN | 2691-3704 |
Electronic ISSN | 2691-3704 |
Publisher | American Chemical Society |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 5 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 666-674 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.4c00908 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3516063 |
Published Journal Article
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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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