Dyeing property of wool treated with low temperature plasma.

Abstract

Merino wool top was treated with low temperature plasmas of oxygen, tetrafluoromethane, and methane. Then the fibers were dyed with leveling and milling type acid dyes. Whereas the oxygen plasma treatment incorporated oxygen atoms on the fiber and led to hydrophilic surface, tetrafluoromethane plasma treatment took up a lot of fluorine atoms and produced hydrophobic surface. However, the rates of dyeing for both plasma treated fibers were much larger than that for a untreated fiber, regardless of the surface wettability. On the other hand, methane plasma treatment decreased dye exhaustion because hydrocarbon polymer was produced by the treatment and covered the fiber surface. Time of half-dyeing was reduced not only by oxygen plasma but also by tetrafluoromethane plasma treatments. Barrier effect in dyeing of the wool was diminished by both plasma treatments. Therefore, there is no relationship between wettability to water and rate of dyeing of the plasma-treated wool. It is considered that both plasma pretreatments relax the adhesive filler in interscale of the wool fiber and accelerate dye penetration into the fiber.