ABSTRACT
Synthetic polymer fibers are widely used for textiles and apparels. Most synthetic fibers have the advantage of relatively high strength and resistance to acids, alkalis, and reducing and oxidizing agents. On the other hand, their high hydrophobicity results in their being less hygroscopic, which could be a disadvantage. Therefore, surface treatments to produce hydrophilic groups such as carbonyl, carboxyl
and hydroxyl groups on the fiber surface have been attempted [1, 2]. Most commonly employed surface treatments for polymeric materials include chemical [3, 4], flame [5], corona discharge [6-8] and plasma treatment [9-14]. For textile fibers, chemical treatments have been commonly used in industry for a long time. However, chemical modification may decrease the fiber strength and cause environmental pollution [15]. In contrast, physical treatments usually involve no hazardous chemicals. Recently, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been applied to alter the physicochemical surface properties of polymers [16-22]. Although most of the studies on the UV treatment were performed using pulsed excimer lasers, the relatively small cross-section of the excimer laser beam, together with relatively high threshold energy, makes it difficult to treat large areas of polymer surfaces efficiently [22].
