The Journal of The Textile Institute

ISSN: 0040-5000 (Print) 1754-2340 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjti20

Weight reduction of polyester fabric using

sodium hydroxide solutions with additives
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and [BMIM]Cl

Rakesh M. Musale & Sanjeev R. Shukla

To cite this article: Rakesh M. Musale & Sanjeev R. Shukla (2016): Weight reduction of
polyester fabric using sodium hydroxide solutions with additives cetyltrimethylammonium
bromide and [BMIM]Cl, The Journal of The Textile Institute

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2016.1171029

Published online: 04 Apr 2016.

Submit your article to this journal

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tjti20

Download by: [Institute of Chemical Technology] Date: 05 April 2016, At: 21:35
 The Journal of The Textile Institute, 2016
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2016.1171029

Weight reduction of polyester fabric using sodium hydroxide solutions with additives
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and [BMIM]Cl
Rakesh M. Musale and Sanjeev R. Shukla*
Department of Fibres and Textile Processing Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
(Received 3 November 2015; accepted 22 March 2016)

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre is largely used in the textile apparel industry. Treatment of PET fibres by sodium
hydroxide solution is a well-known process giving smooth surface with decrease in the fibre diameter. Hydrolytic
scission of ester linkages of the polyester chains on the fibre surface takes place. Appropriate effects are achieved
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016

through monitoring of alkali concentration, time and temperature of the process without any significant deterioration of
important fibre characteristics. Addition of various chemicals enhances the hydrolytic action of alkali. PET fabric was
treated with aqueous as well as methanolic solutions of sodium hydroxide in the presence of additives namely, a
quaternary ammonium compound, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-
methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl). The process parameters were optimized for desired level of treatment and the
effect evaluated in terms of reduction in fabric weight and SEM images of the samples. Weak methanolic NaOH showed
greater effect than aqueous NaOH solution. Also, the addition of [BMIM]Cl enhanced the effect better than CTAB.
Results of ANOVA analysis showed that temperature played very significant role and time was of less significance for
treatment using [BMIM]Cl. Both the parameters were insignificant for the conventional and CTAB treatments. Thus, the
use of novel eco-friendly additive [BMIM]Cl can cause conservation in terms of time and temperature in this
commercially important process.
Keywords: polyester fabric; weight reduction; sodium hydroxide; ionic liquid; quaternary ammonium salt; SEM

Introduction widely known as weight reduction technique, is patented

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre finds applications
in many areas including apparel, sports and active wear,
protective clothing, medical textiles and in several
technical applications (Brueckner, Eberl, Heumann,
Rabe, & Guebitz, 2008). It accounts for 72% of all the
synthetic fibres in the market with an annual production
of 36 million tons per year (International rayon &
synthetic fibres committee, 2013).
In recent years, there has been significant research in
developing moisture management of the fabrics in such a
way that the body perspiration is transported away from
the skin to the outer surface of fabric, where it can
evaporate quickly in order to keep the skin dry and fulfil
the consumer satisfaction of comfort. To accomplish
such moisture management fabrics, the structural design
and quality of fibres are modified so that the textile
products can have good performance in absorbing,
transporting and dissipating moisture (Su, Fang, & Chen,
2007; El Messiry, El Ouffy, & Issa, 2015; Sarkar, Jintu
Fan, Szeto, & Xiaoming Tao, 2009).
The surface leaching of PET fabric is a widely
adopted process in the textile industry to achieve smooth
surface and increased hydrophilicity along with reduction
in diameter and weight of the material. The process,
in 1958 and it is a common finishing operation
(Zeronian & Collins, 2000). It is a well-known
hydrolytic reaction between sodium hydroxide solution
and polyester that takes place at the electron-deficient
carbonyl carbon of PET by attack of hydroxyl ions. This
process of surface modification of PET is achieved by
alkali. The reaction of aqueous sodium hydroxide with
PET is topochemical, not affecting the core of the PET
fibres significantly. Although Tavanai (2009) has shown
that the weight reduction process is not limited to fibre
surface, in his paper, the alkali concentration is much
higher (350 g/l aqueous NaOH) as compared to 100 g/l
aqueous NaOH or 50 g/l methanolic NaOH used in this
work along with 5% additive. Under these conditions,
mainly PET fibre surface molecules are attacked and the
reagent does not significantly penetrate the fibre. On the
other hand, various amines and ammonia can diffuse
into and react within the PET fibre structure resulting in
weakening of the fibres, the extent of which is
proportional to the severity of the treatment (Prorokova,
Vavilova, & Prorokov, 2007).
The topochemical reaction of PET by NaOH solution
has been shown to improve the feel, hydrophilicity, soil
release properties as well as to reduce the static charge

*Corresponding author. Email address: srshukla19@gmail.com

© 2016 The Textile Institute

 2 R.M. Musale and S.R. Shukla
and pilling tendency of the fabric. Treatments under
relatively drastic conditions involving weight loss of
15–25% have been suggested with the objective
of imparting a silk-like feel. The combined action of
hydrolysis and aminolysis on PET fibres has been
explored by including small quantities of
ethylenediamine in aqueous NaOH solution in terms of
weight loss, tenacity and moisture regain (Shukla &
Mathur, 2000). The use of alcoholic solutions of alkali
as well as the use of additives like amine to the aqueous
alkaline bath has been suggested to accelerate the
hydrolytic action of polyester (Shukla, Hedaoo, &
Saligram, 1995). Surface hydrolysis of PET using lipase
enzymes has also been explored (Kardas, Lipp-
Symonowics, & Sztajnowski, 2001; Kim & Song, 2008)
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016
but the treatment possesses the major drawback of high
cost and limited availability of enzymes for large scale
application (Houde, Kademi, & Leblanc, 2004).
Collins, Zeronian, and Semmelmeyer (1991) reported
that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)
accelerates the rate of hydrolysis of PET fibres by NaOH
solution without affecting its physical properties. The
other applications of CTAB include quantification and
extraction procedures of heavy metals (dos Santos et al.,
2007; Venditti, Ceglie, Palazzo, Colafemmina, & Lopez,
2007), biotechnological and biomedical applications
(Liu, Li, Tao, Zhu, & Yao, 2007), and improvement of
the analytical sensitivity in spectrophotometric
determinations (Carvalho, Costa, Ferreira, & Teixeira,
2004). Cetrimonium bromide is a quaternary ammonium
salt used for variety of purposes in cosmetics up to 10%
concentration. It is nontoxic as it has been shown that up
to 20 mg/kg/day doses in drinking water for one year
did not have any toxic symptoms on rats. At the higher
dose, the rats began experiencing weight loss (Andersen,
1997).
Ionic liquids (ILs), also known as molten salts,
consist of organic cations and organic/inorganic anions.
These are the class for salts, which are liquid below
100 °C. They are environmental friendly solvents and
catalysts (Kosmulski, Gustafsson, & Rosenholm, 2004).
Because of their adjustable physical and chemical
properties, ILs got broad attention of scholars from
various fields such as synthesis, catalysis, separation and
electrochemistry (Parvulescu & Hardacre, 2007).
However, ILs exhibit good hydrophilic properties and
surface wetting ability; therefore, they could serve as
antistatic agents for modification of hydrophobic
polymers (Tavanaie, 2013). IL as catalyst is used in the
degradation of PET by various chemical processes (Liu,
Cui, Yu, Li, & Ge, 2009; Palekar, Shah, & Shukla,
2012; Wang, Li, Liu, Zhang, & Zhang, 2009; Yue,
Wang, Zhang, Ni, & Jin, 2011). There is no literature on
weight reduction process of polyester fibres using ionic
liquid as an additive in NaOH solution.
The present paper reports the treatment of PET fabric
using the novel chemicals, a quaternary ammonium salt
CTAB and an ionic liquid ([BMIM]Cl) as catalytic
additives to the aqueous as well as methanolic NaOH
solutions. The results were evaluated in terms of weight
loss of fabric and SEM samples. ANOVA test was
carried out to observe statistical significance of the
results obtained.
Materials and methods
Substrate
Polyester fabric 142 × 47 yarns/cm, twisted ply yarn in
warp direction with GSM of 105 g/m2 was used in the
present work. It was cleaned by boiling in a 2 g/L non-
ionic detergent solution for about 1 h to remove any dirt
present followed by thorough washing with water and
drying in an oven at 70 °C.
Chemicals
All the chemicals including sodium hydroxide, methanol,
butyl chloride, 1-methyl imidazole and CTAB were of
laboratory reagent grade procured form S.D. Fine
Chemicals, India.
Synthesis of ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl
A 100-ml round bottom flask was charged with
1-methylimidazole (1 mmo1) and butyl chloride
(1.2 mmo1) and refluxed at 120 °C for 12 h under
nitrogen atmosphere. The progress of reaction was
monitored by TLC. After completion, the reaction
mixture was cooled to room temperature and excess
buty1 chloride was removed under reduced pressure to
give 1-buty1–3-imidazolium chloride [BMIM]Cl. It is a
dark brown viscous liquid stable at higher temperature. It
was stored in a vacuum desiccator (Scheme 1).
Treatment of PET with aqueous and methanolic NaOH
solutions with and without additives
The treatment solutions were prepared as 10% (w/v)
aqueous NaOH and 5% (w/v) methanolic NaOH. The
concentration of the additives CTAB or [BMIM]Cl was
5% on the basis of weight of PET fabric. About .5 g of
Scheme 1. Synthesis of ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl.
 The Journal of The Textile Institute 3

Table 1. Effect of 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide on weight loss of polyester fabric by various catalysts.

Weight Loss (%)

Temperature (ºC) Time (min) Conventional CTAB [BMIM]Cl
30 10 .26 .46 .56
20 .37 .81 .93
30 .48 1.03 1.32
45 .58 1.21 1.44
60 .89 1.59 1.67
40 10 .30 .64 .97
20 .49 1.06 1.65
30 .83 1.70 2.15
45 1.52 3.84 4.13
60 2.15 4.91 5.78
50 10 .48 .97 1.30
20 .95 1.99 2.24
30 1.05 2.17 3.12
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016

45 2.20 4.77 5.33

60 3.12 6.62 7.45
60 10 .98 2.00 5.31
20 1.85 5.41 8.25
30 2.68 8.11 12.54
45 4.35 13.30 17.64
60 11.13 28.69 –

accurately weighed PET fabric samples were treated with
these solutions in an open beaker dyeing machine with
agitation, maintaining liquor ratio at 50. The time of
treatment was varied in each case along with
temperature. The treated samples were immediately and
thoroughly washed with water for complete removal of
alkali. The final washings were checked with a pH paper
until neutral and the samples were air dried.
Measurement of weight loss
The control and treated PET samples were dried in an
oven at 110 °C for 2 h followed by cooling in P2O5
desiccator at room temperature. The dried sample was
weighed accurately. The percentage weight loss of sample
was determined according to the following formula:
W1  W2
Weight loss, % ¼  100:
W2
where, W1 and W2 are the weights of control and treated
samples, respectively.
SEM characterization
The morphology of treated PET fibre samples was
studied with Philips XL 30 Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM) at 12 kV of acceleration voltage.
Before placing the samples in the SEM chamber, the
samples were mounted onto an aluminium stud and
sputter-coated with gold/palladium for 180 s (E-1010
ION SPUTTER) to prevent charging.
Results and discussion
The process of alkaline weight reduction of PET, mainly
in the form of fabric, has gained considerable
commercial importance because of a number of
advantages associated with the process. Our earlier
studies on PET fibres involved the use of aqueous as
well as alcoholic solutions of caustic soda for this
purpose wherein the degree of weight loss was found to
be much greater for methanolic NaOH (10%) than for
aqueous NaOH at higher concentration (40%) under
identical conditions of time and temperature (Shukla &
Mathur, 2000). The addition of an organic amine like
ethylenediamine in catalytic amount was also shown to
enhance the action under milder conditions of treatment
(Shukla et al., 1995). There is only one report about
addition of CTAB to aqueous NaOH solution to enhance
the hydrolysis of PET (Collins et al., 1991).
Depolymerization of PET bottle waste using ionic liquid
has been reported in the literature (Palekar et al., 2012;
Wang et al., 2009). The IL acts as solvent as well as
catalyst in this case.
Table 1 gives the data on the effect of 10% (w/v)
aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with 5% addition of
catalyst CTAB or [BMIM]Cl on the weight loss of the
PET fabric samples. The time and temperature were
enhanced till a weight loss of about 20% was observed
by any of the treatments. It may be observed that under
identical conditions of alkali treatment, the effect of
catalysts on weight reduction was much higher than that
by the conventional method. Thus, at 60 °C and for
30 min treatment time, a weight loss of 2.68% was
observed for the conventional method as compared to
 4 R.M. Musale and S.R. Shukla

Table 2. Effect of 5% methanolic sodium hydroxide on weight loss of polyester fabric by various catalysts.

Weight Loss (%)

Temperature (ºC) Time (min) Conventional CTAB [BMIM]Cl
30 5 1.57 3.67 4.67
10 3.23 8.43 9.10
20 7.31 18.54 20.43

the effect of addition of catalyst in alkali solution as

8.11 and 12.54% for CTAB and [BMIM]Cl, respectively.
Same trend was observed at any temperature and time of
treatment.
Table 2 gives the results on the effect of addition of
5% CTAB and [BMIM]Cl to 5% (w/v) methanolic
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016

sodium hydroxide solution with treatment time 5, 10 and

20 min, respectively at 30 °C. It was observed that for
the 20 min treatment, the addition of 5% CTAB and
[BMIM]Cl caused desired weight loss of nearly 18 and
21%, respectively, as compared to 7% by conventional
method. Thus, the effect of additives was more
pronounced in methanolic NaOH solution as compared
to aqueous, that too at lower concentration.
NaOH forms different hydrates with water depending
on its concentration in the aqueous solution. A number
of water molecules surround a sodium hydroxide
molecule in such hydrate and its size decreases with
increase in the concentration of NaOH.
The surface modification of polyester fibre using
NaOH is a topochemical reaction in which the hydroxyl
ions of NaOH attack the carbonyl group of PET fibre
forming disodium terephthalate and ethylene glycol. The
disodium terephthalate is soluble in alkaline solution pH
above 8 (Scheme 2).
The solubility of NaOH in methanol is less as
compared to that in water. The smaller size of the
solvated NaOH molecules in methanol (much smaller
than the hydrates) and its lesser repellence from
polyester due to less polarity may be responsible in
providing them more easy access to the fibre surface
leading to increased weight loss of polyesters.
Addition of quaternary ammonium salts like CTAB
and ionic liquid like [BMIM]Cl in alkaline medium
enhances the rate of hydrolysis.
When [BMIM]Cl is added to NaOH, it reacts with the
carbonyl oxygen (C=O) in the ester, and then the hydroxyl
ion of NaOH attacks the carbon cation of the ester group,
forming a tetrahedral intermediate. Then the [BMIM]Cl Scheme 2. Mechanism of surface modification of PET fibre.
leaves, forming C=O again. Therefore, the additive to the
alkaline solution can substantially reduce the strength of
NaOH solution to carry out the process. conventional (C), CTAB and [BMIM]Cl used. Two-way
Statistical analysis was carried out for the alkaline ANOVA without replication has been performed for
treatments of PET fabric by Fisher’s F test for analysis checking the significance of results. The significance of
of variance (ANOVA) and the results for weight loss are ANOVA is generally checked by F ratio to test the
given in Tables 3–5 for the three techniques, hypothesis that the group means are not equal to one
 The Journal of The Textile Institute 5

Table 3. ANOVA results showing the term in response by conventional technique.

Source of Variation Sum of Squares df MS Fvalue p value Fcritical

Temperature 40.01434 3 13.33811 4.383403 .02657 3.490295
Time 36.96327 4 9.240818 3.036878 .06052 3.259167
Error 36.51441 12 3.042868
Total 113.492 19

Table 4. ANOVA results showing the term in response by CTAB addition.

Source of Variation Sum of Squares df MS Fvalue p value Fcritical

Temperature 393.9441 3 131.3147 6.204685 .014263 3.862548
Time 159.1019 3 53.03396 2.505881 .12497 3.862548
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016

Error 190.4742 9 21.1638

Total 743.5201 15

Table 5. ANOVA results showing the term in response by [BMIM]Cl addition.

Source of Variation Source Squares df MS Fvalue p-value Fcritical

Temperature 453.5365 3 151.1788 25.83767 9.35E-05 3.862548
Time 82.38275 3 27.46092 4.693291 .030795 3.862548
Error 52.6599 9 5.8511
Total 588.5791 15

Figure 1. SEM images of (a) control PET (b) PET fibre treated with aqueous NaOH for 60 min at 60 °C (c) aqueous NaOH with
5% CTAB for 45 min at 60 °C and (d) aqueous NaOH with 5% [BMIM]Cl for 45 min at 60 °C.
 6 R.M. Musale and S.R. Shukla
another and by p values to test the null hypothesis
against an alternative hypothesis. The F values for the
temperature response were nearly same to Fcrit for the
conventional treatment, insignificantly higher for CTAB
treatment and highly significant in case of [BMIM]Cl
treatment indicating that the results on surface
modification of PET fibre using the IL are greatly
significant. With respect to time, the conventional and
CTAB treatment did not have much significance,
whereas [BMIM]Cl showed some significance. The p
values for the ionic liquid technique are the lowest as
compared to those by conventional and CTAB
techniques proving thereby that the ionic liquid as an
additive gives superior results.
The surface morphology PET fibres after conventional,
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016
CTAB and [BMIM]Cl treatment was analysed using
scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Figure 1 (a) and (b)
show similar effect of little etching on surface of fibres,
whereas Figure 1 (c) of chemical treatment using aqueous
NaOH with 5% [BMIM]Cl shows increase in roughness or
pits on the surface of the fibres.
Conclusion
The weight loss of PET fabric in aqueous NaOH is much
less as compared to methanolic NaOH due to higher
polarity of the former solution. Less polar solutions of
alkali are more effective in hydrolysing polyester fibres
topochemically. [BMIM]Cl is more effective in both
solutions than CTAB. Addition of [BMIM]Cl increases
the weight loss in methanolic sodium hydroxide than in
aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. The addition also
allows decrease in the concentration of NaOH,
temperature and time for reaction for similar weight loss
of fabric. Further, [BMIM]Cl can be recovered, whereas
CTAB cannot. This makes the process efficient, at the
same time being eco-friendly.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Sanjeev R. Shukla http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0966-9443
References
Andersen, F. A. (1997). Final report on the safety assessment
of cetrimonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, and
steartrimonium chloride. International Journal of
Toxicology., 16, 195–220.
Brueckner, T., Eberl, A., Heumann, S., Rabe, M., & Guebitz,
G. (2008). Enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis of poly
(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics. Journal of Polymer Science
Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 46, 6435–6443.
Carvalho, L., Costa, A., Ferreira, S., & Teixeira, L. (2004).
Spectrophotometric determination of chromium in steel
with 4-(2- thiazolylazo)-resorcinol (TAR) using microwave
radiation. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 15,
153–157.
Collins, M., Zeronian, S., & Semmelmeyer, M. (1991). The use
of aqueous alkaline hydrolysis to reveal the fine structure
of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers. Journal of Applied
Polymer Science, 42, 2149–2162.
El Messiry, M., El Ouffy, A., & Issa, M. (2015).
Microcellulose particles for surface modification to enhance
moisture management properties of polyester, and
polyester/cotton blend fabrics. Alexandria Engineering
Journal, 54, 127–140.
Houde, A., Kademi, A., & Leblanc, D. (2004). Lipases and
their industrial applications: An overview. Applied
Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 118, 155–170.
International rayon and synthetic fibres committee. (2013).
Retrieved from http://www.cirfs.org.
Kardas, I., Lipp-Symonowics, B., & Sztajnowski, S. (2001).
The influence of enzymatic treatment on the surface of
modification of PET fibres. Journal of Applied Polymer
Science, 119, 3117–3126.
Kim, H., & Song, W. (2008). Optimization of enzymatic
treatment of polyester fabrics by lipase from porcine
pancreas. Fibers and Polymers, 9, 423–430.
Kosmulski, M., Gustafsson, J., & Rosenholm, J. (2004).
Thermal stability of low temperature ionic liquids revisited.
Thermochimica Acta, 412, 47–53.
Liu, F., Cui, X., Yu, S., Li, Z., & Ge, X. (2009). Hydrolysis
reaction of poly(ethylene terephthalate) using ionic liquids
as solvent and catalyst. Journal of Applied Polymer
Science, 114, 3261–3565.
Liu, Q., Li, J., Tao, W., Zhu, Y., & Yao, S. (2007).
Comparative study on the interaction of DNA with three
different kinds of surfactants and the formation of
multilayer films. Bioelectrochemistry, 70, 301–307.
Palekar, V. S., Shah, R. V., & Shukla, S. R. (2012). Ionic liquid-
catalyzed aminolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste.
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 126, 1174–1181.
Parvulescu, V., & Hardacre, C. (2007). Catalysis in ionic
liquid. Chemical Review, 107, 2615–2665.
Prorokova, N. P., Vavilova, S. Y., & Prorokov, V. N. (2007).
Effect of ammonium salts on poly(ethylene terephthalate)
materials. Fibre Chemistry, 39, 20–25.
dos Santos, D., Teixeira, A., Barbosa, J., Ferreira, S., Korn, M.,
& Teixeira, L. (2007). Use of cetyltrimethylammonium
bromide as surfactant for the determination of copper and
chromium in gasoline emulsions by electrothermal atomic
absorption spectrometry. Spectrochimica Acta Part B:
Atomic Spectroscopy, 62, 1072–1077.
Sarkar, M., Jintu Fan, J., Szeto, Y., & Xiaoming Tao, X.
(2009). Biomimetics of plant structure in textile fabrics for
the improvement of water transport properties. Textile
Research Journal, 79, 657–668.
Shukla, S. R., Hedaoo, V. B., & Saligram, A. N. (1995). Alkaline
weight reduction of polyester fibres using ethylenediamine.
American Dyestuff Reporter, 84, 40–41, 47.
Shukla, S. R., & Mathur, M. R. (2000). Action of alkali on
polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate
polyesters. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 75, 1097–1102.
Su, C., Fang, J., & Chen, X. (2007). Moisture
absorption and release of profiled polyester and cotton
composite knitted fabrics. Textile Research Journal, 77,
764–769.
 The Journal of The Textile Institute
Tavanai, H. (2009). A new look at the modification of
polyethylene terephthalate by sodium hydroxide. The
Journal of The Textile Institute, 100, 633–639.
Tavanaie, M. A. (2013). Ionic liquids as new solvents for
textile fiber formation and modification. Chemical
Engineering Technology, 36, 1823–1837.
Venditti, F., Ceglie, A., Palazzo, G., Colafemmina, G., &
Lopez, F. (2007). Removal of chromate from water by a
new CTAB–silica gelatin composite. Journal of Colloid
Interface Science, 310, 353–361.
Downloaded by [Institute of Chemical Technology] at 21:35 05 April 2016
7
Wang, H., Li, Z., Liu, Y., Zhang, X., & Zhang, S. (2009).
Degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) using ionic
liquids. Green Chemistry, 11, 1568–1575.
Yue, Q., Wang, C., Zhang, L., Ni, Y., & Jin, Y. (2011).
Glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) using
basic ionic liquids as catalysts. Polymer Degradation and
Stability, 96, 399–403.
Zeronian, S. H., & Collins, M. J. (2000). Surface modification
of polyester by alkaline treatments. Journal of Applied
Polymer Science, 75, 1097–1102.