Poly(oxyethylene) diglycolic acid: A novel blending antistatic agent for polyamide fibres

Poly(oxyethylene) diglycolic acids (PEO acids) with average molecular weights of M n = 8 400 ( Ia ), 3 300 ( Ib ), and 1 000 ( Ic ) were used as blending anti‐electrostatic agents for nylon 6 (Ny6) fibres. The blended fibres containing 2.0 and 5.0 wt.‐% of the PEO acids were successfully spun by the melt‐blend spinning process at 260°C. Processabilities of the spinning and the drawing of the as‐spun filaments were little deteriorated compared with those of the Ny6 control. During the spinning block condensation of I and Ny6 occurred by reaction of their mutual end‐groups. The block copolymers produced were distributed in the filament matrix as coarsely dispersed spheres to form sea‐island structures. These fibres showed good antistatic properties; their performances were in the order of Ia > Ib > Ic , which was parallel to the size, not the number, of the islands. The tensile properties of the fibres containing 2.0 wt.‐% of Ia and Ib were comparable with those of the control. The dyeabilities examined for their knits were not seriously affected, either. In addition, it was indicated that the performance of antistatic property was not lost at all after the dyeing and the subsequent repeated washings. This is because I is anchored covalently to the Ny6 fibre matrix by the condensation above.