Basic study on the two-tone color dyeing of PET and PVC wig fibers by carrier dyeing method

PET or PVC wig fibers are usually colored by the dope dyeing method in which the pigment or color master batch is mixed before the spinning process. However, the colored fibers need to be dyed again to obtain a two-tone color along the longitudinal fiber direction. In this study, PET and PVC fibers were dyed by the carrier dyeing method using a disperse dye, and the dyeing behavior was investigated. The fiber was dyed at various carrier and dye concentrations. The dye uptake increased with increasing carrier concentration or dye concentration. The saturation of the dye uptake was observed in each case. No change of the glass transition temperature (T_g) was observed in the 1st run of the DSC thermogram, however, a decrease in the value of T_g was observed in the 2nd run performed after the 1st run sample was quenched and re-measured. The reduction in the value of T_g implies that the carrier acted as a plasticizer in the fiber and enhanced the segmental mobility of the polymer chains. The dyeing temperature and carrier concentration were varied and the diffusion coefficients of the dye and activation energy were measured. The activation energy was increased at a higher carrier concentration, because the carrier acted as a plasticizer and lowered the energy barrier to the penetration of the dye molecule into the polymer chains.