Coating superfine down powder on polypropylene for the production of dyeable fibers

To develop dyeable isotactic polypropylene (iPP) fibers, superfine down powder (SDP) was coated on the surface of iPP fibers post melt-spinning. Optical micrographs showed that the surface of powder-coated iPP fibers was roughness, and the amount and dispersion of coated SDP were found entirely dependent on melt-spinning temperature. With the increase in coated SDP content, the moisture and water absorption of powder-coated iPP fibers increased. Powder-coated iPP fibers could be, respectively, dyed by reactive red dye and acid red dye, and the observed enhancement of color strength (K/S) and red value (a*) of powder-coated iPP fibers could be attributed to SDP coated on iPP fibers. It was worth noting that the removal of coated SDP affected the wet-washing fastness of powder-coated iPP fibers largely. In addition, the powder-coated iPP fibers were produced in a few minutes with lower cost and could have potential applications in textile industry.