EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT STERILIZATION METHODS ON POLYESTER SURFACES

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of different sterilization methods on polyester surfaces. Therefore, ethylene oxide (EO), autoclave (AU) and ultraviolet (UV) sterilization methods were performed on two groups of polyester surfaces. In the first part, the effects of different sterilization methods on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanofibers produced by electrospinning with different concentrations were investigated. In the second part, the effects of different sterilization methods on PET fabrics were investigated. The effects of the different sterilization methods on surface properties of PET surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies and contact angle measurements. The changes in mechanical properties were investigated by Instron studies. It was seen that different sterilization methods affected the nanofibers significantly depending on the polymer concentration. This effect was less clear for the PET fabrics. It was concluded that UV sterilization gave less damage to the nanofibers.