Mechanical Properties and Stability to Light Exposure for Dyed Egyptian Cotton Fabrics with Natural and Synthetic Dyes

Abstract

Synthetic dyes are more available than natural dyes were in the past, because of lower prices and wider ranges of bright shades with considerably improved color fastness properties. In current years, concern for the environment has created an increasing demand for natural dyes, which are friendlier to the environment than are synthetic dyes. The aim of this work is to study the effect of dyeing cotton fabrics with both a natural dye (henna) and a synthetic dye (Remazol blue) on some mechanical properties and those of stability to light exposure. The undyed and dyed cotton fabrics were tested for their mechanical behaviors expressed as tenacity (N), elongation %, and work-breaking (N · m). They were also tested for shrinkage and crease recovery angle. The stability to light before and after 100 h exposure was examined by investigating the microstructure [using x-ray diffraction (XRD)] and macrostructure [using a scanning electron microscope (SEM)] and the reflection spectra. The results proved that the cotton samples dyed with Henna dye have higher mechanical properties than those dyed with “Remazol” reactive dye. Moreover, the light fading behaviors of both synthetic and natural dyes were studied in terms of the reflection spectra (400–800 nm), microstructure, and macrostructure of the sample's fibers.