Morphology, Thermal Behaviour, Abrasion Mass Loss, and UV-Induced Coffee-Stain Discolouration of TiO2-Coated Polyester Fabrics Treated at Different Coating Temperatures

The coating temperature during TiO2 treatment can influence particle deposition, abrasion behaviour, and stain discolouration of polyester fabrics. However, the relationship between coating temperature and the resulting structural and functional properties requires further evaluation under controlled exhaustion conditions. Hence, the study aimed to investigate its effects on morphology, thermal behaviour, abrasion mass loss, and UV-induced coffee-stain discolouration. Polyester fabrics were coated with 0.2% w/v TiO2 using an exhaustion process at 115, 130, and 145 °C. The treated fabrics were characterised using SEM-EDX, DSC, and ATR-FTIR. The estimated mass gain after coating, abrasion mass loss after 10,000 cycles, and colour difference (ΔE*ab) after UV exposure of coffee-stained samples were also evaluated. The 130 °C treatment produced the highest estimated mass gain of 7.49 ± 1.28 g/m2, whereas greater particle agglomeration was observed in the examined SEM region at 145 °C. The abrasion mass loss varied significantly with coating temperature, with the lowest value of 0.04 ± 0.01% observed at 130 °C. After UV exposure, the 130 and 145 °C samples exhibited significantly greater colour changes than the pristine and 115 °C samples. The apparent crystallinity of the pristine and TiO2-coated polyester fabrics varied, while the ATR-FTIR spectra showed no major changes in the characteristic absorption bands of polyester. Under the conditions investigated, the 130 °C treatment was associated with a higher mass gain and lower abrasion mass loss than the treatments at 115 and 145 °C.