Search Results (9)

The textile industry is seeking alternative coloration methods to comply with the global demands for eco-friendly and non-hazardous dyes, as synthetic colorants are costly and substantially toxic in nature, having deleterious effects on the environment as well as ecosystems. This research aimed to develop a printed functional cotton fabric using a new bio-based pigment from acacia wood waste (Acacia nilotica) charcoal. Acacia charcoal was ground into fine powder and added into pigment paste with polyacrylic binder and screen printed on cotton fabric, followed by drying and curing. The printed fabric was tested for color strength (K/S), colorfastness, flame resistance, contact angle (for checking the hydrophobicity), thermal insulation, and tensile strength following standard testing protocols. Using different charcoal concentrations (in the range of 0.5–5%), the samples presented light to dark gray color and the K/S value gradually increased from 1.85 (0.5%) to 12.31 (5%), demonstrating stronger color depth. The printed fabrics revealed good results in terms of color fastness ratings (washing 3–5, dry rubbing 3–5, wet rubbing 3–5), satisfactory flame resistance, good thermal insulation, and excellent hydrophobicity. The obtained results contribute to sustainable and durable textile development for achieving better performance. Full article

Natural plant-based resources are rich in bioactive compounds that offer promising alternatives for developing sustainable, functional textiles. This study focuses on the extraction and application of natural dyes from Gardenia jasminoides as an eco-friendly substitute for conventional synthetic dyes. The dye was extracted using methanol–water (50:50) and ethanol–water (50:50) solvent systems, alongside conventional aqueous extraction, followed by characterization through column chromatography. The characterization of the extracted powders confirmed the presence of gardenia yellow pigments with strong coloration potential. Among the tested extraction methods, ultrasonic-assisted methanol–water extraction (M.W.U.) exhibited the highest dye yield of 29.5%, followed by ethanol–water ultra-sound extraction (E.W.U.) at 24.9%, water ultrasound extraction (W.U.) at 18.35%, and the lowest yield obtained from the water-heater method (W.H.) at 18.25%. The dyed cotton fabrics were tested for color strength (K/S), CIELAB, colorfastness (washing, light, rubbing), and functional properties (antibacterial and vector protection) according to standard operating procedures. The results revealed that an optimal mordant concentration produced the maximum color strength (K/S = 1.7730), with good rubbing (4–5), washing (4–5), and light fastness (5). The dyed fabrics also exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as evaluated by the AATCC 100 test method. For instance, the vector protection property of the cotton dyed fabrics was also excellent, as confirmed by the cage test. Overall, the use of Gardenia jasminoides seed-based natural dye demonstrates not only desirable coloration and functional performance but also significant ecological advantages, reducing chemical pollution and supporting the transition toward environmentally sustainable textile processing. Full article

Indigo leaves from various plant species are sources of dyes/pigments, not fully exploited for making sustainable textiles. Blue indigo vat dye extracted from indigo leaves yields high wash color fastness but fades slowly with light, and is not easily used for direct printing. Indigo leaves can be used to produce textiles of various color shades, while light-resistant Mayan-inspired hybrid pigments have not yet been used for textile coloring. Using blue indigo dyes from three plant species, with exhaustion dyeing, intense wash-resistant blue-colored textiles are produced, and in the case of Indigofera Persicaria tinctoria, textiles have antibacterial activity against S. epidermis and E. coli. A 100% natural Mayan-inspired blue indigo pigment, made from sepiolite clay and natural indigo dye, was used both in powdered and paste forms to perform pigment textile dyeing by pad cure process, and direct screen printing on textiles. A water-based bio-binder was used efficiently for both padding and printing. Bio-based Na Alginate thickener allowed to produce prints with good color-fastness on both polyester and cotton fabrics, while bio-based glycerin produced excellent print color fastness on polyester only: wash fastness (5/5), dry and wet rub fastness (5/5) and light fastness (7/8). Full article

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional printing (3DP), has been widely applied to various fields and industries, including automotive, healthcare, and rapid prototyping. This study evaluates the effects of 3DP on textile properties. The usability of a textile and its durability are determined by its strength, washability, colorfastness to light, and abrasion resistance, among other traits, which may be impacted by the application of 3DP on the fabric’s surface. This study examines the application of photosensitive acrylic resin on two fabric substrates: 100% cotton and 100% polyester white woven fabrics made of yarns with staple fibers. A simple alphanumeric text was translated into braille and the braille dots were 3D printed onto both fabrics. The color of the printed photosensitive acrylic resin was black, and it was an equal mixture of VeroCyanV, VeroYellowV, and VeroMagentaV. The 3D-printed design was the same on both fabrics and was composed of braille dots with a domed top. Both of the 3DP fabrics passed the colorfastness to washing test with no transfer or color change, but 3D prints on both fabrics showed significant color change during the colorfastness to light test. The tensile strength tests indicated an overall reduction in strength and elongation when the fabrics had 3DP on their surface. An abrasion resistance test revealed that the resin had a stronger adhesion to the cotton than to the polyester, but both resins were removed from the fabric with the abrader. These findings suggest that while 3DP on textiles offers unique possibilities for customization and design, mechanical properties and color stability trade-offs need to be considered. Further evaluation of textiles and 3D prints of textiles and their performance in areas such as colorfastness and durability are warranted to harness the full potential of this technology in the fashion and textile industry. Full article

Fruit peels are a rich source of many substances, such as pectin. Extraction of natural thickening agent (pectin) from fruit waste such as (orange and pomegranate peels) is an environmentally friendly alternative to commercial thickeners and is cheap for use in the printing of natural and synthetic fabrics, especially polyester and polyacrylic fabrics. Hexamine was used to treat the extracted pectin to make it appropriate for use in an alkali medium for printing cotton fabric. The results showed that the extracted and modified pectin have good rheological properties as well as bacterial resistance. Pectin is suitable for use in an acidic medium. All the printed samples with pectin and its modified synthetic dyes (reactive, acid, and disperse) exhibited good fastness towards washing and wet and dry rubbing. The light fastness of printed textiles was excellent (7), which is more than using alginate as a thickener (5). In both acidic and alkaline perspiration, the perspiration fastness characteristic revealed 3–4 to 4–5 color differences. Colorfastness to rubbing was tested in both dry and wet conditions, and it was revealed that dry rubbing had the same effect as wet rubbing. Printed textiles using pectin or modified pectin as thickeners exhibit antibacterial activity. Physical and mechanical properties of all printed fabrics such as (tensile strength, elongation, and surface roughness) were enhanced. Full article

Supercritical carbon dioxide dyeing (SDD) as a dyeing media not only provides a friendly dyeing environment but also significantly increases polymeric dyeing performances ascribed to strong azo dye affinity. Disperse azo dyes have shown to be highly efficient dyeing agents due to their facile coupling synthesis, side chains position, and length tunability to optimize absorption properties. Herein, we first synthesize two series of disperse red azo dyes via a coupling chemical route. Further, we investigate the position of the electron withdrawing group and alkyl chains length impact onto the absorption and color fastness properties. Upon synthesis, ¹H NMR and mass spectroscopy were used to characterize our newly synthesized series dye structure. Also, according to spectroscopic characterization, the functional group positions as well as the alkyl chains length have a major impact on the dye series maximum light absorption wavelength and performance. We have performed SDD dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate woven and determined each dye color fastness, we find that a reduced electron withdrawing effect and alkyl chains increase reduce color-fastness performances. Overall, our dyes exhibited a good resistance against detergent water, perspiration, abrasion, and friction. Full article

In this study, we investigated conditions for the alkaline hydrolysis and black-disperse dyeing of sea-island-type polyethylene terephthalate (PET) ultramicrofiber tricot fabric. We examined the weight loss ratios and tensile strengths according to the NaOH content (10–30% on mass of fabric (omf)) during treatment; the optimal conditions used 25% omf NaOH for 30 min at 100 °C for an average weight loss ratio of 23.47%. By scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, the ‘sea’ components are extracted with increasing NaOH concentration until 25% omf NaOH, and damage of the ‘island’ components above 25% omf NaOH leads to a reduction in tensile strength. The dyeing conditions, including temperature (95–135 °C), time (20–60 min), pH buffer solution concentration (1–9 g/L), and contents of dispersant (1–9 g/L) and UV-absorbent (5–25% omf) were also explored. The optimal dyeing conditions were established as a dye concentration of 8% omf with 1 g/L dispersant, 1 g/L pH buffer solution concentration, and 10% omf UV-absorbent at 135 °C for 40 min at a 1:10 goods-to-liquor ratio. The rubbing colorfastness values for the fabrics dyed with the black disperse dye spanned four grades under dry and wet conditions. The light colorfastness values of the dyed fabrics were good to excellent in the range of 4–5 grades. Full article

The weak photostability of photochromic dyes applied to textile substrates is one of the disadvantages of the broader use of photochromic dyes in the textile industry. Therefore, the influence of optical brightener concentration on both the photocoloration and photostability of cotton fabric coated with photochromic microcapsules using a pad-dry-cure process, as well as the physical-mechanical properties and colorfastness properties, were studied in this research. Coated samples were subjected to different tests according to valid EN ISO standards; namely mass per unit area, fabric stiffness, breaking force and elongation, air permeability, and different colorfastness properties (rubbing, domestic and commercial laundering, and light). Results showed that the coated fabric had higher mass per unit area, stiffness, breaking force and elongation and lower air permeability compared to uncoated fabric, irrespective of the padding bath composition. Coated fabric has better colorfastness to wet than dry rubbing. The colorfastness to washing decreases with the increased number of washing cycles. The use of optical brightener decreases the photocoloration of coated fabric and increases the photostability of coated fabric after the exposure of samples to a Xenotest apparatus for longer than 12 h. Full article

Colorfastness to light is an essential quality for textiles exposed to sunlight for a significant length of time. In this study, the colorfastness (specifically to light) of fabrics dyed with wood-staining (spalting) fungal pigments was compared to the colorfastness of commercial dyes. A short-duration immersion dying method without heat was used to minimize both water and energy usage. Both mordanted and unmordanted fabrics were tested and compared for colorfastness. Additionally, a new method of testing for colorfastness to light was developed. Results indicate that the wood-staining fungal pigments demonstrate superior colorfastness to light over commercial dyes when the employed dyeing method is used. Additionally, the colorfastness to light testing method developed using the L-2 Blue Wool Standard and QUV Accelerated Weathering Machine is a viable alternative to current standard colorfastness to light testing methods. Full article