Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Polyester is a category of polymer whose monomer contains the ester functional group, and polyester fibers are often used to make fabric for garments and fashion accessories. Polyester can also be blended with other fibers to create blends such as cotton/poly, combining polyester's durability and easy care with the comfort of a natural fiber.
Polyester is a category of polymer whose monomer contains the ester functional group. Polyesters fibers are often used to make fabric. The fabric is obviously made into garments & fashion accessories. Polyester can also be blended with other fibers to create blends such as cotton/poly.
Learn about polyester fibers.
Fabrics woven or knitted from polyester thread or yarn are used extensively in apparel and home furnishings, from shirts and pants to jackets and hats, bed sheets, blankets, upholstered furniture and computer mouse mats. Industrial polyester fibers, yarns and ropes are used in car tire reinforcements, fabrics for conveyor belts, safety belts, coated fabrics and plastic reinforcements with high-energy absorption. Polyester fiber is used as cushioning and insulating material in pillows, comforters and upholstery padding. Polyester fabrics are highly stain-resistant—in fact, the only class of dyes which can be used to alter the color of polyester fabric are what are known as disperse dyes.
In 1926, United States-based E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. began research on large molecules and synthetic fibers. This early research, headed by W.H. Carothers, centered on what became nylon, which was the first synthetic fiber. Carothers was working for duPont at the time. Carother's research was incomplete and had not advanced to investigating the polyester formed from mixing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. The project was revived by British scientists Whinfield and Dickson, who patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or PETE in 1941. Polyethylene terephthalate forms the basis for synthetic fibers like Dacron, Terylene and polyester. In 1946, duPont bought all legal rights from Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).
Polyester is a synthetic textile fiber.
Liquid crystalline polyesters are among the first industrially used liquid crystalline polymers. In general they have extremely good mechanical properties and are extremely heat resistant. For that reason, they can be used as an abradable seal in jet engines.
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From Carothers to PETThe road to polyester began with research on large molecules. In 1926, United States-based E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. began research on large molecules and synthetic fibers, headed by W.H. Carothers; that work centred on what became nylon, the first synthetic fiber, and had not advanced to investigating the polyester formed from mixing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. The project was revived by British scientists Whinfield and Dickson, who patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or PETE in 1941. Polyethylene terephthalate forms the basis for synthetic fibers like Dacron, Terylene and polyester itself, and in 1946 duPont bought all legal rights from Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). From that base polyester grew into the world's most produced textile fiber, spun as filament for smooth fabrics and cut into staple for spinning with cotton and wool. Why Polyester Earned Its Place in the WardrobeFabrics woven or knitted from polyester thread or yarn are used extensively in apparel and home furnishings, from shirts and pants to jackets and hats, bed sheets, blankets, upholstered furniture and computer mouse mats. The fiber's practical virtues explain the spread: it is strong, resists stretching and shrinking, dries quickly, holds pleats and creases set by heat, and resists stains because it absorbs very little water. That same hydrophobicity is why only disperse dyes can colour it. Blending is the other half of the story — a cotton/poly shirt keeps much of cotton's comfort while gaining polyester's wrinkle resistance and durability. Beyond textiles, liquid crystalline polyesters are among the first industrially used liquid crystalline polymers, with extremely good mechanical properties and extreme heat resistance that suit them to uses such as an abradable seal in jet engines, a reminder that the word polyester names a family of polymers, not a single cloth. Common QuestionsWhat is polyester made from?Polyester is a category of polymer whose monomer contains the ester functional group. The textile fiber is based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), patented by British scientists Whinfield and Dickson in 1941 and sold under names such as Dacron and Terylene. How is polyester fabric coloured?Polyester fabrics are highly stain-resistant, and the only class of dyes which can be used to alter the colour of polyester fabric are what are known as disperse dyes, which are carried into the hydrophobic fiber with heat. What is polyester fiber used for besides clothing?Industrial polyester fibers, yarns and ropes are used in car tire reinforcements, fabrics for conveyor belts, safety belts, coated fabrics and plastic reinforcements with high-energy absorption, and polyester fiber is used as cushioning and insulating material in pillows, comforters and upholstery padding. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fiber Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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