Sustainable profiled poly(lactic acid) multifilaments with high moisture management performance for textiles

Sustainable poly(lactic acid) multifilaments are a new type of biodegradable fibers that have gained increasing attention in textile product development. However, low moisture management performance has hindered their application in high added-value textile products such as functional garments and sportswear. In this work, profiled poly(lactic acid) multifilaments with “+” cross-section and “Y” cross-section were developed by the melt spinning process in order to improve their moisture management properties. The cross-sectional and longitudinal morphologies of the produced profiled poly(lactic acid) multifilaments were first examined and their non-circularity degrees were calculated. The moisture-absorbing and fast-drying properties of both the poly(lactic acid) multifilaments and knitted fabrics, including vertical wicking, in-plane wicking, water absorption and evaporation, and water vapor transmission were then evaluated, and the effects of fiber cross-section shape and yarn texturing were analyzed. The results show that the moisture management performances of the knitted fabrics made with profiled poly(lactic acid) multifilaments are significantly improved when compared with those of the fabric made with circular cross-section poly(lactic acid) multifilaments. The results also show that moisture management performances of the knitted fabrics made with profiled poly(lactic acid) multifilaments are comparable or even better than those of the fabrics made of polyester multifilaments. The study suggests that poly(lactic acid) fibers can be applied for the development of textile products with high added value and substitute the large amounts of petroleum-based PET fiber in apparel end-use.