**6. Conclusions**

168 Textile Dyeing

**Correlation of Dyed PP Fabric K/S Values with Predicted Mixing Energies and Calculated Solubility Parameters of Vat Dyes**

Crock fastness was determined using the electronic crock meter with 10 complete cycles in both dry as well as wet conditions according to AATCC Standard Test Method 8-2004. Vat Blue 6 exhibited less resistance to crocking as it stained the cotton cloth square to a rating of 3-4, whereas Vat Orange 1, Vat Red 1, Vat Blue 1 and Vat Yellow 2 all showed good to excellent crocking resistance (Table 5.3). The higher crock fastness ratings in the wet condition to that of the dry condition was attributed to the reduction in the frictional force between the low surface energy PP fabric and the rubbing finger of the crock meter caused

Fig. 5.5. Correlation of Dyed PP Fabric K/S Values with Calculated Acid Leuco Dye

C.I. Name of Dye Staining Rating

Table 5.3. Crock Fastness Ratings of PP Fabrics Dyed with Certified Vat Dyes

Vat Orange 1 4 4-5 Vat Yellow 2 4-5 4-5 Vat Blue 6 3-4 4 Vat Red 1 4 4-5 Vat Blue 1 4 4

Wash fastness of the dyed materials was determined by AATCC Standard Test Method 61- 2003, no. 2A. The fastness ratings (Table 5.4) revealed that Vat Orange 1 exhibited excellent wash fastness on the PP fabric, whereas the other vat dyes yielded good, acceptable wash

**Solubility Parameter** 

**(cal/cc)^.5, Mixing Energy** 

**(Kcal/mol)**

Dry Wet

K/S Value

(cal/cc)^.5

Mixing Energy (Kcal/mol)

Solubility Parameter

**5.7 Evaluation of fastness properties** 

**5.7.1 Fastness to crocking** 

**5.7.2 Fastness to washing** 

fastness properties to the PP fabric.

**K/S Value at Wavelength of** 

**Minimum Reflectance**

123456

Solubility Parameters and Predicted Mixing Energies

by the lubricating effect of water at the interface.

Blue1 Orange1Red1 Blue6 Yellow 2 Brow n1

Solubility parameter and molecular dynamics simulation approaches were developed to screen viable vat dye candidates for generic PP aqueous dyeing, and the dyes targeted as viable candidates by the theoretical techniques provided excellent experimental correlations, e.g., high color yields, in dyeing PP fabrics by the optimized acid leuco vat process.

A viable method to commercially aqueous batch dye generic, unmodified PP fiber textiles in a conventional process has been developed for a certified trichromatic series (red, yellow and blue) plus orange of vat dyes with adequate fastness properties to washing, crocking and dry-cleaning in their acid leuco forms: C. I. Vats Red 1, Yellow 2 and Blue 6 plus Orange 1. The same method was shown to adequately color PP textiles with C. I. Vat Blue 1 (Indigo) as a stand-alone colorant with adequate fastness properties to washing, crocking and dry-cleaning to produce the popular "denim" shade. The developed single-stage acid leuco method for dyeing generic PP fabrics at pH 7 provided good fastness properties and good color yields without fiber "ring-dyeing."

Of the vat dyes currently available on the commercial market, C. I. Vat Dyes Orange 1, Yellow 2, Red 1 and Blue 1, all possessing low solubility parameters closest to that of generic PP's 8.1 (cal/cc)1/2, were demonstrated to be viable candidates for generic PP fiber coloration, while C. I. Vat Blue 6 was deemed a marginal candidate. However, Vat Blue 6 was the best-performing blue vat dye available outside of Vat Blue 1, and since the latter

Commercially Adaptable Coloration Processes for Generic Polypropylene Fiber 171

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[20] C. L. Bird and A. M. Patel, "The Dyeing of Unmodified Polypropylene with Disperse

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Quinolines with and Without a Polyethylene Oxide and Acid and Disperse Dye

was so easily air-oxidized compared to the other candidates for the trichromatic series and was thus incompatible with them, Vat Blue 6 was judged sufficient in performance to move the technology forward into practice.

An exhaustive survey of blue vat dye structures in the Colour Index yielded one colorant that possessed the proper solubility parameter and heat of mixing with PP characteristics: C. I. Vat Blue 8. However, the colorant is no longer commercially available on the world market, but with the viable aqueous PP coloration process now developed, vat dye manufacturers will have incentives to bring Vat Blue 8 back into production.

#### **7. Acknowledgment**

The authors are thankful to the Georgia Consortium on Competitiveness for the Apparel, Carpet and Textile Industries (CCACTI) for providing the financial support to conduct the research. The authors also thank WestPoint Home, Inc., Shaw Industries, Inc. and Ten Cate Fabrics for sponsoring this research. The authors also recognize TestFabrics, Springs Industries, Classic Dyestuffs, Huntsman Chemical Company, Dexter Chemical Company, FiberVisions and Mount Vernon Mills for providing chemicals and materials used in the research.

#### **8. References**


was so easily air-oxidized compared to the other candidates for the trichromatic series and was thus incompatible with them, Vat Blue 6 was judged sufficient in performance to move

An exhaustive survey of blue vat dye structures in the Colour Index yielded one colorant that possessed the proper solubility parameter and heat of mixing with PP characteristics: C. I. Vat Blue 8. However, the colorant is no longer commercially available on the world market, but with the viable aqueous PP coloration process now developed, vat dye

The authors are thankful to the Georgia Consortium on Competitiveness for the Apparel, Carpet and Textile Industries (CCACTI) for providing the financial support to conduct the research. The authors also thank WestPoint Home, Inc., Shaw Industries, Inc. and Ten Cate Fabrics for sponsoring this research. The authors also recognize TestFabrics, Springs Industries, Classic Dyestuffs, Huntsman Chemical Company, Dexter Chemical Company, FiberVisions and Mount Vernon Mills for providing chemicals and materials used in the

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the technology forward into practice.

**7. Acknowledgment** 

research.

**8. References** 


**9** 

*1Sefar AG, Thal,* 

*Switzerland* 

**Substrate Independent Dyeing of Synthetic** 

*2Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St. Gallen,* 

Hossain Mohammad Mokbul1 and Hegemann Dirk2

**Textiles Treated with Low-Pressure Plasmas** 

The synthetic fibers are widely used in apparel and home furnishings due to their good physical and chemical properties. The synthetic fiber market is characterized by a trend towards ever-finer fibers. It is very difficult for these finer fibers to obtain very deep colours via the common dyeing processes. The increasing demand of polyester (PES) such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in textile market for high performance applications in smart textiles, technical textiles, operation clothing etc. and more recently, for their potential applications as electronic textiles. It indicates that PET has the potential in research in the future due to the wide range of mechanical properties, relative high melting point and glass transition temperature, insensitivity to common solvents and moisture, chemical inertness. PET, an aliphatic-aromatic polymer composition and thermoplastic, shows a rather

CO-O-CH2-CH2 -(OC -O)-

The two carbonyl functions together with the aromatic ring provide the structural rigidity of the macromolecule; little flexibility arises due to the presence of the ethylene group in the repeating unit. The polar ester groups in the PET hold the PES into strong crystals. PET consists of a two-phase structure: crystalline (35 % in vol.) and non-crystalline (65 % in vol.). The most important phase in determining dyeability in the conventional dyeing process is the amorphous region. The PET becomes rubbery and swelling above its glass transition temperature. In this state the dye molecules are able to penetrate into the amorphous region

In recent years, consumers have shown an increasing preference for use of synthetic fibers blended with natural fibers to combine advantages of both materials. Due to the hydrophobic nature synthetics such as PES fibers are dyed at high temperatures around 130 °C and high pressure, this needs lot of energy and special equipment (Xu et al. 2002). Moreover, since polyesters are stronger than natural fibers, PES fabric blends containing wool, cotton etc. are very popular, since PES makes the fabrics more resilient and wrinkle free. Similar to PES, low priced polypropylene (PP) is frequently used in the technical

and by cooling down the molecule can be trapped inside the PET macromolecules.

**1. Introduction** 

hydrophobic nature due to its rigid structure,

Fig. 1. Chemical structure of PET

