New insight into compressive shrinkage finishing in a garment company: The effects on physical,mechanical and colorimetric properties of cotton woven fabrics

Compressive shrinkage or compressive shrinkage finishing is one of the most important finishing procedures in the textile industry to improve the dimensional stability of cotton fabrics. Study of the physical and mechanical properties of compressive shrinkage finished fabrics could be useful for optimizing the treatment conditions. This research was carried out in a production line of a recognized garment company on cotton woven fabrics with two different woven patterns (twill and plain). The samples were first dyed with reactive and sulfur dyes in a jigger dyeing machine and finished with a silicone softener. The dried fabrics were then processed in a compressive shrinkage machine. Several physical and mechanical properties of the samples were evaluated including area shrinkage, crimp percentage, thickness, abrasion resistance, drapeability, mechanical and colorimetric properties. The results showed that the thickness of all treated samples increased due to compressive shrinkage. The fabrics were analyzed with a Martindale Abrasion Tester to determine the abrasion resistance. Interestingly, we noted an increase in the abrasion resistance. After the compressive shrinkage process, the strength of the plain woven fabrics decreased in the warp direction, but increased for twill woven cotton fabrics. On the contrary, the strength of all samples increased in the weft direction. Colorimetric evaluation of the samples showed that the effect of compressive shrinkage on the color of all samples was negligible.     

Dyeing characteristics of Nylon,cotton and N/C mixture fabrics with reactive-disperse dyes containing a sulphatoethylsulphone group

The dyeing and color fastness properties of three reactive-disperse dyes containing a sulphatoethylsulphone group on Nylon, cotton and N/C mixture fabrics were examined. Reduction-clearing was more effective in removing the unfixed dyes than soaping since the reactive-disperse dye became hydrophobic during dyeing process. Nylon was dyed well with three reactive-disperse dyes at pH 5∼8 and difference in chemical structure between dyes did not affect the final color strength of the dyed Nylon fiber, but their build-up properties on Nylon were not so good. The color strength of the dyed cotton was not as high as that of Nylon. The color strength of cotton increased by lowering dyeing temperature when the reactive-disperse dyes having hydroxy group were used. Nylon absorbed more dye molecules than cotton in simultaneous dyeing, the color difference between Nylon and cotton could be reduced as the dyeing temperature decreased. N/C mixture fabric was dyed well at 60 °C with the reactive-disperse dyes having hydroxyl group when applied at pH 7 and 60 °C, and their build-up properties were good. It was also found that washing fastness and rubbing fastness of dyed Nylon, cotton and N/C fabrics with the reactive-disperse dyes were excellent, while light fastness was moderate.     

Investigation on the effect of titanium dioxide nano particles on camouflage properties of cotton fabrics

Cotton fabrics were dyed with three commercial vat dyes in order to provide camouflage in Vis-NIR regions and imitate reflectance profile of greenish leaves. To investigate the effect of nano particles on camouflage properties of dyed fabric, nano particles of TiO₂ were applied on dyed fabrics using pad-dry-cure method. The nano TiO₂ padded dyed fabrics were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Reflectance curves of coated dyed samples with different concentrations of nano TiO₂ were measured. Results showed that in both of the standard shades, nano TiO₂ increases the reflectance value in NIR region and with increasing the concentration of nano TiO₂, the reflectance curves of samples tend to show the maximum reflection of greenish leaves (deciduous leaves) in NIR region. Chromatic values (CIE1976 L*, a*, and b*) and color difference (according to CIECMC color difference ΔE*cmc (2:1)) of each of the coated samples were measured using the reflection spectrophotometer. By considering the influence of white color of nano TiO₂ on green shade of dyed cotton fabrics and increasing the color difference (between coated samples and the standard shades of the 1948 U.S army pattern) in visible range, optimum concentrations of nano TiO₂ for development of camouflage properties on cotton fabrics in both NIR and visible region were determined. These values for NATO and forest green shades were 0.75 % and 0.5 %, respectively. Fastness results showed that both of the samples have acceptable color fastness. The effect of washing and exposure to light on camouflage properties of coated dyed fabrics in visible (in term of chromatic values) and NIR region (in term of spectral reflectance) was investigated when those were coated in optimum concentrations of nano TiO₂. The results showed that the effect of after treatments (washing and exposure to light) on surface color spectral characteristics and camouflage properties was inconsiderable.     

Eco-dyeing and antimicrobial properties of chlorophyllin copper complex extracted from Sasa veitchii

Cotton fabrics were dyed with the natural chlorophyll derivates (chlorophyllin, Chlin) after treatment with and without chitosan. The water-soluble Chlin extracted from Sasa veitchii based on Japanese bamboo leaves were investigated in order to improve the textile coloration and antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity of the dyed fabrics that had been pretreated with chitosan as a biomordant over a concentration range of 0∼0.7 % was tested against two common gram pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The color depth as measured by the K/S value, the color difference and the colorfastness to washing and light were also evaluated. The fabrics treated with chitosan resulted in an increase in dye uptake in all cases compared with the corresponding untreated fabrics, and did not affect fastness of washing and light. The cotton fabrics dyed with mordant and CuSO₄ extracts appeared to have over 99.9 % of antimicrobial activity, while MeOH extracts showed 71.8 %.     

Cotton fabric mechanical properties affected by post-finishing processes

Following the work done previously [1]. In this paper, the effect of various post-finishing agents on the low stress mechanical and surface properties of dyed cotton fabrics, as well as their handle value have been studied. The mechanical properties of the treated cotton fabrics were measured by the famous KES-FB system. It has been found that cotton fabric mechanical properties and fabric handle can be modified by not only the external finishing agents but also the internal finishing agents which are used for correcting the inherent defect of the fabrics. The results in this report will inform the textile industry in engineering required fabric properties with appropriate finishing processes.     

A study on combining natural dyes and environmentally-friendly mordant to improve color strength and ultraviolet protection of textiles

In this study, natural dyes were extracted from five plants, namely diospyros kaki, dioscorea cirrhosa, millettia (jixueteng), ecliptae, and macrocarpa nucuma, using environmentally-friendly solvents, including ethanol and deionized (DI) water. A plant mordant, tannin extracted from Emblica officinalis G., and a metal mordant, copper sulfate, were used in the pre-dyeing process. Cotton and silk fabric samples were treated using the five natural dyes without and with mordanting for comparison on their color strength and characteristics as well as protection against ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Results revealed that Emblica officinalis G. had the highest total phenol content, followed by dioscorea cirrhosa. The presence of abundant phenolic groups in the natural dyes and mordant makes them effective coloration agents for fabrics. Cotton and silk fabrics dyed using ecliptae without pre-mordanting had the highest K/S values. Silk fabrics had higher K/S values than cotton fabrics, indicating greater color strength in pre-mordanted silk treated with DI water-extracted dyes. Natural mordant used before treatment with natural dyes contribute to significant enhancement in color strength, and Emblica officinalis G. alone could darken the color of cotton and silk fabrics dyed with plant pigment. Moreover, treatment with natural dyes after mordanting can increase ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) and the enhancement in UVR protection is greater and more significant in cotton fabrics than in silk fabrics, and in fabrics treated with DI water-extracted natural dyes than in those treated with ethanol-extracted ones. In conclusion, pre-dyeing with natural mordant followed by treatment with natural dyes extracted using environmentally-friendly solvents can enhance significantly K/S and UPF, offering directions for manufacturing textiles without environmental hazards but with good appearance and health benefits.     

UV-grafting coloration of cotton and wool fabrics using bismethacrylated quinizarin dye

A novel bifunctional quinizarin dye possessing two photoactive methacrylate groups was synthesized by the reaction of quinizarin with methacryloyl chloride. The synthesized dye, a low substantive dye under the conventional dyeing process, can be photografted onto cotton and wool fabrics at room temperature without neutral salts, which makes it a novel coloration process of excellent environmental friendliness. The concurrent polymerization and grafting of the synthesized dye onto cotton or wool can be assisted by a photoinitiator and acrylic acid in the case of cotton grafting. Moreover, color yields of the grafted fabrics improved significantly with the photografting of the bifunctional dye. The bifunctional dye can be photopolymerized with the increase in UV energy to 25 J/cm² and the oligomeric dye has a degree of polymerization of 5 or more. Furthermore, the color fastness properties of the grafted fabrics were superior to those of the dyed fabrics via exhaustion.     

Adsorption and dyeing characteristics of reactive dyes onto cotton fiber in nonionic Triton X-100 reverse micelles

The nonionic reverse micelles used for dyeing cotton fiber were prepared with a non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) by injecting small amount of reactive dye aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity of three water-soluble anionic azo dyes including Reactive Blue 222, Reactive Red 195 and Reactive Yellow 145 onto cotton fiber was investigated. The Langmuir and Freundlich isothermals were employed to model the adsorption data. In addition, the color strength and fixation rate of cotton fabrics dyed in the reverse micelles and bulk water were examined and compared. The salt and alkali as influencing factors were also discussed. The FT-IR spectra were employed to study the polarity of water added in reverse micelles. The results indicated that the adsorption of the dyes onto cotton showed better agreement with Langmuir model. The adsorption process was monolayer adsorption. Reactive Yellow 145 with lower negative charge and higher hydrophilicity exhibited the higher adsorption capacity. The fixation percentage and color strength of the cotton fiber dyed in TX-100 reverse micelles was higher than those in bulk water. The polarity of water in TX-100 reverse micelles was lower than that in bulk water.     

The effect of carbon black nanoparticles on some properties of air plasma printed cotton/polyamide 6 fabrics

In this study, cotton/nylon blended fabrics were treated with atmospheric air plasma at various times (30–60 s) and were subsequently printed with pastes containing carbon black nanoparticles. Properties of plasma treated fabrics such as visible-near infrared (Vis-NIR) reflectance, water contact angle, air permeability, and color fastness were measured. It was shown that increasing plasma treatment time decreases reflection level of treated fabrics in Vis-NIR region. Plasma treatment also enhanced the hydrophobicity of cotton/nylon fabrics observed by an increase in water contact angle. Plasma treated samples for 60 s demonstrated lower air permeability than those treated for 30 s. Furthermore, printed samples possessed acceptable levels of fastness against washing, light and crocking.     

Actinomycin X2, an Antimicrobial Depsipeptide from Marine-Derived Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus Applied as a Good Natural Dye for Silk Fabric

Actinomycins as clinical medicine have been extensively studied, while few investigations were conducted to discover the feasibility of actinomycins as antimicrobial natural dye contributing to the medical value of the functional fabrics. This study was focused on the application of actinomycin X2 (Ac.X2), a peptide pigment cultured from marine-derived Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus, in the dyeing and finishing of silk fabric. The dyeing potential of Ac.X2 with silk vs. cotton fabrics was assessed. As a result, the silk fabric exhibited greater uptake and color fastness with Ac.X2. Through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, some changes of chemical property for the dyed fabric and Ac.X2 were studied. The silk fabric dyed with Ac.X2 exhibited good UV protection ability. The antibacterial properties of dyed and finished silk were also evaluated, which exhibited over 90% antibacterial activity even after 20 washing cycles. In addition, the brine shrimp assay was conducted to evaluate the general toxicity of the tested fabric, and the results indicated that the dyed silk fabrics had a good biological safety property.     

Cross-cultural study of color sensation and sensibility for Korean traditional fabrics with natural indigo dyeing

This study focused on fabric planning for environment-friendly fashion products for the international market. In order to achieve this objective, some Korean traditional fabrics (Mosee and Myungjoo) with natural indigo dye were selected and they were evaluated in terms of subjective color sensation and sensibility by two cultural groups (Korean and American college students). Also, color preference for the natural dye fabrics by each cultural group was predicted by colorimetric properties, color sensation, and color sensibility factors. Most bluish fabrics dyed with natural indigo colorants were likely to provide a cold and strong sensation. There were partially significant differences in terms of color sensation among six fabrics. The color sensibility for the naturally dyed fabrics was classified into three factors: ‘Classic’, Romantic’, and ‘Unique’. The color sensibility factor ‘Classic’ was the dominant factor for the naturally dyed fabrics with indigo colorant. There were cultural differences in terms of color sensation and color sensibility factors between Korean and American university students. Color preference of dyed fabrics with natural indigo was found to be influenced mainly by the color sensibility factors among colorimetric properties, color sensation, and color sensibility.     

Dyeing characteristics and UV protection property of green tea dyed cotton fabrics

There is increasing interest in the many beneficial aspects of green tea to human such as anti-carcinogenic, anti-aggregant, anti-allergic, anti-bacterial, anti-mutagenic, and anti-oxidant activities. Besides these beneficial aspects, it has been reported that green tea ingredients, especially polyphenolic families (i.e., catechin), have some UV protection property both in vivo and in topical applications. In this study, green tea extract was used as a dyeing stock for cotton and the UV protection property of the dyed cotton fabric was examined. To increase the affinity of cotton fiber to the polyphenolic components in the green tea extract, a natural biopolymer, chitosan, was used as mordanting agent. The effects of chitosan concentration in mordanting on the dyeing characteristics and the UV protection property were examined. Chitosan mordanted green tea dyed cotton showed better dyeing characteristic and higher UV protection property compared with the unmordanted green tea dyed cotton. As the chitosan concentration in mordanting increased, the dyeing efficiency and the UV protection property also increased. Therefore, adapting chitosan mordanting in green tea dyeing can increase the UV protection property of cotton fabrics to some extent.     

Study on the dyeing of wool fabrics with Phytolacca berry natural dyes

Dyeing of wool fabrics with natural dyes from Phytolacca berries has been studied. The effect of dye concentration, dye bath pH, dyeing time and temperature were discussed. The influence of chitosan application on the dyeing properties of wool fabrics was investigated. The SEM photographs of chitosan treated wool fabrics clearly depict the deposition of chitosan on the fibers. The effect of chitosan concentration, dye bath pH, dyeing time and temperature has been studied by orthogonal experiment. It has been proved that the dyed wool samples pretreated by chitosan have higher color fastness, faster dyeing rate, and better antibacterial properties compared with untreated ones.     

Dyeing and antibacterial properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Liriope platyphylla</Emphasis> fruit extracts on silk fabrics

Dyeing and antibacterial properties of a natural dye extracted from Liriope platyphylla fruit applied on silk fabrics have been studied. The total phenolic content (1109.13±69.02 mg), total flavonoid content (530.60±89.44 mg), and total anthocyanin content (492.26±77.79 mg) were measured in 100 g fresh weight of L. platyphylla fruits. In addition, ten anthocyanins and four flavanols were identified in L. platyphylla fruits by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS). A broad variation in color shade and color depth can be achieved with mixtures of dye extracts and metal mordants. Purple, blue, and pale green were main color shades of silk fabrics dyed with the extracts. The fastness of dyed silk fabrics except for control dyed fabrics against light, washing, and rubbing were acceptable with at least a grey scale rating of 3. The antibacterial activities of L. platyphylla fruit extracts were retained on dyed silk fabrics even after home washing 30 cycles. Mordanting with metal salt mordant had a positive effect on antibacterial activity of dyed silk fabrics in this study. Among them, aluminum and copper were the most effective mordants for improving antibacterial activity of silk fabrics dyed with L. platyphylla fruit extracts. The costs of natural dyeing of per silk fabrics kg by the extracts from L. platyphylla fruit were also calculated on laboratory scale.     

Antibacterial properties and color fastness of silk fabric dyed with turmeric extract

The use of non-toxic and eco-friendly natural dyes on textiles has received much attention due to the increased environmental awareness in order to avoid some hazardous synthetic dyes. In the present study, an eco-friendly approach was developed to impart color and antibacterial properties to silk fabrics dyed with turmeric extract as a non-toxic natural colorant. The natural colorant was extracted from Curcuma Longa rhizome. Copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate and potassium aluminium sulfate were applied in a pre-metallization process as mordanting agents. Antibacterial properties of treated fabrics were evaluated against common pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). The effects of dye concentration and mordant types on the obtained color hues, antibacterial efficiency and color fastness of the fabrics were investigated. The results indicated that mordanted and dyed fabrics possessed desirable antibacterial properties. Complete antibacterial activity of the treated fabrics was obtained with 3 %owf (on weight of the fabric) copper sulfate. It was also shown that increasing the dye concentration could lead to a more efficient antibacterial activity on the mordanted dyed fabrics. An optimum level of the antibacterial activity was observed in the sample treated with 30 %owf of turmeric. Furthermore, the results of CIE L*, a*, b* values, FTIR, washing, light and rubbing fastnesses of the dyed fabrics were reported. The mordanted dyed silk fabrics exhibited desirable color fastness properties. These studies proved a direct relationship between the degree of antibacterial activity of the fabrics treated with turmeric and the metals ion concentration.     

Ultrasonic dyeing of cationized cotton fabric with natural dye. Part 2: Cationization of cotton using Quat 188

The dyeing of cationized cotton fabric with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride 69% (Quat 188) using Cochineal dye was studied using both conventional and ultrasonic techniques. Factors affecting dye extraction and dye bath exhaustion were investigated. The results indicated that the dye extraction by ultrasound at 300 W was more effective at lower temperatures and times than conventional extraction. Also, the colour strength values obtained were found to be higher with ultrasound than with conventional techniques. However, the results showed that the fastness properties of the dyed fabrics with ultrasound are similar to those of the conventional dyed fabrics. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were measured for cationized cotton fabrics dyed with both conventional and ultrasound techniques, thus showing the sonicator efficiency.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Waterborne Polyurethane Modified by Acrylate/nano-ZnO for Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics

Waterborne polyurethane modified by acrylate/nano-ZnO (PUA/ZnO) was synthesized and used to improve the wet rubbing fastness of reactive dyed cotton fabric. The reaction conditions were optimized and the products were characterized by FT-IR, TG, DSC, SEM, and particle size distribution. The dyed cotton fabrics were finished with PUA/ZnO emulsion and the rubbing fastness, ultraviolet resistant property, and wearability of treated fabrics were measured. The wet rubbing fastness of treated fabrics was increased by about 0.5–1 rate to achieve 3–4 rate, and the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) achieved 50+ level. The whiteness, air permeability, and elongation at break of treated fabric were not decreased significantly. SEM showed that the smooth and reticular coating on the surface of treated fabric reduced the mechanical friction force between dyed fabric and rubbing cloth, and thus improved the rubbing fastness. The decomposition temperature of finished fabric was increased by 50–80 °C.     

Effect of pigment particle character on dyeing performance of cotton fabrics

The cotton fabrics were dyed by exhaust method using the pigment dispersions as colorant, and meanwhile the effects of particle character on dyeing performance were further investigated. The results showed that the larger zeta potentials, the higher K/S value, pigment uptakes, rubbing and washing fastness of the dyed cotton fabrics were. Adsorption isotherms were belonging to Langmuir type when zeta potentials were about 0.46 mV and 31.39 mV respectively. The cotton fabrics that dyed by the pigment dispersions with small particles had high K/S value, rubbing and washing fastness. The chemical structure of pigment had little influence on pigment uptakes, and all kind of pigment dispersions reach to 98 % uptakes after 30 min but exhibit various uptake rates at initial stage.     

Intergenerational differences of color sensation and preference for naturally dyed fabrics

This study was performed in order to evaluate subjective color sensation and preference for yellowish and reddish natural dye fabrics and to provide meaningful objective colorimetric properties which can quantify the sensation and preference focused on intergenerational differences. Among lots of natural dye silk fabrics, four differently dyed fabrics for each hue were used as specimens by cluster analysis. College students as younger generation and high school teachers as middle-aged evaluated them subjectively in terms of eight aspects color sensation such as clearness, lightness, depth, warmth, strength, brightness, hardness, and fragrance. Intergenerational differences appeared more frequently as for the lightest and the most saturated yellowish fabrics dyed with amur cork than any other fabrics. All of sensation and preference were significantly explained by some colorimetric properties for each generation. Color lightness, L* was the only positive predictor for color preference of younger generation’s preference whereas color saturation, C* illustrated negatively for that of middle-aged.     

Reversible and washing resistant textile-based optical pH sensors by dyeing fabrics with curcuma

Curcuma powder was used to dye cotton and polyamide 6,6 fabrics in order to produce textile-based optical pH sensors. Both fabrics showed a bright yellow color after dyeing and demonstrated color changes (towards red) when contacted with basic solutions. Color change and sensitivity differ for cotton and for polyamide. Curcuma-dyed cotton shows color changes in particular in the range of pH between 6.5 and 8.5, whilst curcuma-dyed polyamide shows a wider pH range: from 8.5 to 13.0. The stability of pH sensing to washing was evaluated. Three different kinds of washing agents were used in order to simulate the real life conditions of a garment or a cloth. Standard test methods were used when available for washing tests. The pH sensing of the curcuma-dyed fabrics demonstrated an excellent fastness to all kinds of washing. Ionic strength of the solution does not affect the color changes. Moreover, color reversibility of the fabrics was proven, too. Color change and reversibility of the fabrics was assessed by an UV-visible spectrophotometer. Spectral changes were observed at 540 nm for curcuma-dyed cotton, and at 487 and 574 nm for polyamide.