Advancing Sportswear Performance through Cutinase Enzymatic Surface Modification of Polyester Knitted Fabric

Abstract

This study investigates the thermo-physiological comfort properties of enzymatically modified knitted fabrics for sportswear. The cutinase enzymatically modified single jersey knitted fabric was made from 100% PET. And also, for enzymatic surface modification, Suson manufactured cutinase enzyme was used. Box-Behnken design was used as a statistical tool for investigating the effect of cutinase concentration and other factors. Thermo-physiological comfort properties of knitted fabric such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, fabric wettability, tensile strength, and fabric stiffness, weight-loss, pilling resistance of the treated and untreated fabric were tested and analyzed. The enzymatic treatment and structurally modified designed fabrics significantly enhances comfort property of knitted fabrics. SEM analysis shows slight surface morphological changes, while FTIR results indicate the introduction of new hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, suggesting improved surface hydrophilicity. Additionally, the tensile strength (0.27%) and weight loss (0.26%) are remained nearly unchanged by cutinase hydrolysis-treated polyester fabric. According to the fit statistics, the R2 values of air permeability, wickability, thermal conductivity, and resistance are 98.24%, 98.78%, 99.55%, and 99.11%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of cutinase enzymatically modified knitted fabrics to improve the overall comfort properties and performance of sportswear, offering a promising approach for developing advanced functional textiles.