Synthesis of temporarily solubilized reactive disperse dyes and their application to the polyester/cotton blend fabric

Five temporarily solubilized reactive disperse dyes were synthesized and characterized. They were applied to polyester/cotton blend fabric using one-bath dyeing method without dispersing agent. The dye that has azonaphthalene chromophore seemed to not only be exhausted on polyester but also react with cotton. But other dyes were selectively dyed on polyester and showed limited uptake on cotton. Good levelling as well as moderate to good colour fastness was obtained with the dyes on P/C blend fabric.     

Flame retardant properties of triazine phosphonates derivative with cotton fabric

The flame retardant behavior of cotton fabric treated with phosphorus-nitrogen containing triazine compound was evaluated. It was found that cyanuric chloride (2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine) is an excellent starting material for the preparation of phosphonate flame retardants that interact well with cotton to improve flame resistance (FR) performance. Tetraethyl 6-chloro-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyldiphosphonate (TECTDP) has been prepared by a simple one-step reaction in high yield (98.0 %). Cotton fabrics treated with TECTDP result in covalent bond formation between TECTDP and hydroxyl groups in cotton fabrics. This FR system provides an efficient flame retardant for cotton textiles at low cost to meet government mandates. In this study, the FR material was synthesized and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and LC-MS spectroscopy. The chemical structure of cotton twill fabric treated with TECTDP by pad-dry-cure method was analyzed by FT-MIR and SEM. Furthermore, the thermal and flammability properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI, ASTM D-2863-09), and a vertical flame test (ASTM D-6413-08).     

A two-bath method for digital ink-jet printing of cotton fabric with chitosan

In our previous research, the possibility of using chitosan in preparing the pretreatment print paste for digital ink-jet printing for cotton fabric was investigated but the final color was not good as expected. In this paper, we modified our previous work by applying the chitsoan separately on the cotton fabric for digital ink-jet printing. A two-bath method was thus proposed and it was confirmed that a better color yield was achieved with this method. However, the use of chitosan reduced the tensile strength of the digital ink-jet printed fabric slightly.     

One-bath dyeing of PET/cotton blends with azohydroxypyridone disperse dyes containing a fluorosulfonyl group

Azohydroxypyridone disperse dyes containing a fluorosulfonyl group were dyed on PET/cotton blends and their dyeing and fastness properties were investigated. Specially, the azohydroxypyridone dyes containing a nitro group in place of the fluorosulfonyl group in the para position to azo group were synthesized in order to compare their dyeing and fastness properties on PET/cotton blends with those of fluorosulfonyl-substituted analogues. As these dyes can be alkali cleared in the same bath, a one-bath dyeing method was used and the results were compared with that of a conventional two-bath dyeing method. In particular, the cross-staining of cotton was studied in order to assess their suitability for the one-bath dyeing of PET/cotton blends.     

Dispersant-free dyeing of poly(lactic acid) knitted fabric with temporarily solubilized azo disperse dyes

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is known for environmentally friendly material as it is derived from annually renewable crops and biodegradable. Dispersant-free dyeing of PLA fabric with three temporarily solubilized azo disperse dyes which contain β-sulfatoethylsulfonyl group was investigated and their dyeing and fastness properties were compared with those of commercial disperse dyes. The temporarily solubilized azo disperse dyes were successfully applied to PLA fabric without the use of dispersant. The color yield on PLA fabric was dependent on dyebath pH and dyeing temperature as well. The optimum results were obtained at pH 7-8 and 110 °C. The dyes showed markedly higher color yield on PLA fabric when compared to commercial disperse dyes. Wash fastness was very poor to poor but light fastness was good. The COD levels of the dyeing effluent from the temporarily solubilized disperse dyes were considerably lower than those from commercial disperse dyes.     

Performance of cotton fabric treated with an amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer

An amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer (HBP-NH₂), synthesized from methyl acrylate and diethylene tri-amine by polycondensation, was applied to treat cotton samples by a pad-dry-cure method. Physical properties, salt-free dye-ability, antimicrobial activity, and antiultraviolet property of the treated cotton samples were tested. The crystallinity and mechanical properties, including breaking strength, breaking elongation, and Young’s modulus of the treated cotton fibers, increased slightly in comparison with those of the untreated cotton fibers. The thermal stability and the moisture regain were also improved slightly. Dyed with direct dyes and reactive dyes in the absence of the electrolytes, the treated cotton fabric showed similar or higher color strength compared with the untreated cotton fabric in conventional dyeing. The treated cotton fabric can also be dyed with acid dyes effectively. In addition, the treated cotton fabric showed good antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The study of the antiultraviolet properties of the treated cotton fabric indicated that the HBP-NH₂ contributed to the reduction of UV transmission and the increase of UPF.     

Effect of Urea/NaOH aqueous system on morphology and properties of cotton fabric

This paper was focused on comparing the effect of urea/NaOH aqueous system with that of single urea or NaOH treating system on cotton fabric morphology and properties. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and wide X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were used to study cotton fabric morphology and properties before and after treatment by urea/NaOH, single urea, and single NaOH treating systems. Results showed that the cotton fabric treated by urea/NaOH aqueous system had better dyeability than the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating systems. Obvious differences were observed in appearance and morphology of cotton fabrics before and after treatment by urea/NaOH aqueous system. The composition and the structure of urea/NaOH treated cotton fiber had no distinct changes, only except the reduced hydrogen bonding between cellulosic macromolecules. Tensile strength and elongation at break of cotton fabric showed a slight decrease after treatment by urea/NaOH system. In addition, shrinkage of area and weight reduction of urea/NaOH treated samples were higher than those of the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating system.     

Dyeing of cotton and polyester/cotton blend with disperse dyes using sodium 2-(2,3-dibromopropionylamino)-5-(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazinylamino)-benzenesulfonate

The cotton fabrics were pretreated by sodium 2-(2,3-dibromopropionylamino)-5-(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazinylamino)-benzenesulfonate (DBDCBS) at alkaline condition of room temperature and then dyed with four disperse dyes having amino groups (C.I. Disperse Yellow 9, C.I. Disperse Red 11, C.I. Disperse Blue 56 and C.I. Disperse Violet 1) at acidic condition of high temperature. A novel hetero-bifunctional bridge compound,DBDCBS, has two reactive groups such as dichloro-s-triazinyl group andα, β-dibromopropionylamido group. The first has reactivity towards hydroxy group of cellulosic fiber and the second shows reactivity towards amino groups of disperse dye containing amino groups. The results indicate that it is possible to dye polyester/cotton blend at one-bath dyeing using one kind of disperse dye containing amino groups. Therefore, two kinds of dyeing methods such as two-bath process one-bath dyeing and one-bath process one-bath dyeing were investigated and their dyeabilities were compared. The differences between these two methods were negligibly small so that perfect one-bath one-step dyeing of polyester/cotton blend by one kind of disperse dye was achieved.     

Eco-friendly dyeing of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) with temporarily solubilized azo disperse dyes based on pyridone derivatives

Dispersant-free PTT dyeing of temporarily solubilized azo disperse dyes based on pyridone moiety which contain β-sulfatoethylsulfonyl group was investigated. The dyes were successfully applied to PTT without the use of dispersants. The color yields of the dyes on PTT fabric were dependent on dyeing pH as well as dyeing temperature. The optimum results were obtained at pH 5–6 and 110 °C. The dyes showed alkali-clearing property and exhibited good to excellent fastness on the PTT fabric. The COD levels of the dyeing effluent from the temporarily solubilized disperse dyes were much smaller than those from commercial disperse dye.     

The effect of the pretreatment print paste contents on colour yield of an ink-jet printed cotton fabric

Optimum condition concerning the content of pretreatment print paste and steaming time for ink-jet printing was newly developed through the orthogonal analysis. The cotton fabric treated under the newly developed optimum condition could achieve a high level of colour yield similar to that of the commercially pretreated cotton fabric available in the market for ink-jet printing. The results were discussed thoroughly in this paper.     

Facile fabrication of PVAc-g-PVDF coating on surface modified cotton fabric for applications in oil/water separation and heavy metal ions removal

Selective separation is an effective method for the removal of heavy metal ions and waste oil from wastewater. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was functionalized with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) by in-situ polymerization, and novel PVAc-g-PVDF coating on surface modified cotton fabric were prepared. The contact angle (CA), pure water flux (PWF) and self-cleaning ability of coated cotton fabric were investigated in detail. In addition, the separation performance of coated cotton fabric was reflected by the removal of heavy metal ions in simulated wastewater. The results revealed that the PVAc-g-PVDF-coated cotton fabric was free of waste oil adhesion and was self-cleaning from waste oil in aqueous environment. Meanwhile, this coated cotton fabric can effectively separate oil/water mixtures with a high flux and high oil rejection, and was easily recycled for long-term use. More importantly, the heavy metal ions rejection ratio and adsorption capacity of cotton fabric were also improved with the addition of PVAc-g-PVDF coating. PVAc-g-PVDF-coated cotton fabric exhibited excellent rejection stability and reuse performances after several times fouling and washing tests. It can be expected that the present work will provide insight into a scaled-up fabrication process of PVAc-g-PVDF coating for purifying wastewater.     

Adhesion and durability of Cu film on polyester fabric prepared by finishing treatment with polyester-polyurethane and aqueous acrylate

To improve adhesion and wear durability at the interface between copper (Cu) film and polyester fabric, the Cu-coated polyester fabric was treated by two commercial solutions of polyester-polyurethane (PP) and aqueous acrylate (AC) as finishing process respectively. Both finishing agents with 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 % and 40 % concentrations were coated on the Cu-coated fabrics by a padding method in this study. The surface morphologies of the coated polyester fabric before and after finishing were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adhesion of Cu-coated film before and after the finishing treatments was measured with scotch tape method; the durability was evaluated by colorfastness to washing, crocking and perspiration. Additionally, Ultraviolet (UV) shielding, water repellency and CIE L*a*b of the Cu-coated polyester fabric before and after the finishing treatments were determined. The Cu-coated polyester fabric has a high adhesion property of the 5 level, colorfastness to washing, wet crocking and perspiration of the Cu-coated fabric were obviously enhanced to level 5, level 4-5 and level 3-4. Meanwhile, The Cu-coated polyester fabric kept an excellent UV protection with UPF value over 68 after finishing treatment with PP and AC. The results demonstrate the finishing treatment with the PP presented effectively in durability performance than the AC for the Cu-coated polyester fabric.     

Immobilization of TiO2 nanoparticles on PET fabric modified with silane coupling agent by low temperature hydrothermal method

PET fabric was first modified with silane coupling agent KH-560, and then was loaded with a layer of nano-scaled TiO₂ particles using tetrabutyl titanate as precursor by low temperature hydrothermal method, followed by dyeing with Disperse Blue 56. The morphology, crystalline phase, chemical modification, thermal stability and optical property of PET fiber before and after treatments were studied by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric and diffuse reflectance spectrum techniques. The properties of tensile, air permeability, luster, ultraviolet (UV) protection, photocatalytic activity, K/S value and color fastness were also measured. It was found that compared with the TiO₂-coated fabric without modification with KH-560, the loading of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of the TiO₂-coated fabric modified with KH-560 was obviously improved. The pure anatase TiO₂ nanoparticle was grafted onto the fiber surface. The onset decomposition temperature increased. The absorbing capability to ultraviolet radiation was enhanced. The properties of tensile, air permeability, luster, K/S value and color fastness changed slightly. The UV protection ability and photodegradation of methyl orange under UV illumination were enhanced to some extent.