Dyeing properties of the atmospheric pressure plasma-treated polypropylene fabric subjected to butane tetra carboxylic acid

Abstract

In this paper, dyeing properties of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)-treated polypropylene (PP) fabrics padded with butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) were evaluated. We have used a DBD, working in an atmospheric pressure air. More polar functional groups were presented on the substrate surface after DBD pretreatment. After DBD treatment, BTCA was applied to PP fabrics by pad–dry–cure system. Both treated and untreated fabrics were dyed using acidic and basic dyestuffs. The surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy images. Treated samples were also characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The wettability of the samples was evaluated by water drop test according to AATCC 79-2000 standard. Color intensities of the dyed fabrics with both acidic and basic dyestuffs were measured using a UV–vis–NIR reflective spectrophotometer, over the range of 400–700 nm. The results showed that, by treating the fabric, the relative color strength (K/S values) of the dyed fabrics has been increased. From the results of tensile strength test, both weft and warp directions, no significant difference was obtained within the accuracies of the measurement. Also, the fastnesses properties of samples were measured.