Nanoscale polymer encapsulated pigment hybrid latexes with high pigment content for binder-free pigment printing of cotton/polyester blend fabrics

Abstract

Pigment printing of cotton/polyester (C/P) blend fabrics is an environment-friendly technology for achieving cleaner fabric coloration. However, the application of conventional pigment-printing technology is restricted owing to the stiff feeling and low crocking fastness of the printed goods. In this study, a novel polymer-encapsulated pigment hybrid latex with nanoparticle morphology and high pigment content was synthesized for binder-free pigment printing of C/P fabrics via sulfur-free reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (SF-RAFT) emulsion polymerization using allyloxy polyoxyethylene (10) nonyl ammonium sulfate (DNS-86) as the reactive surfactant. The pigment content of the hybrid latex was as high as 83.8%, with an average particle size of 251 nm. The surface of single C/P fibers was uniformly wrapped by the hybrid latex film, where the highly encapsulated pigment accelerated pigment fixation on the fibers, improving the color depth, color fastness, air-permeability, and hand-feel of the binder-free printed C/P fabrics in comparison with those of the control system with low pigment content (traditional free radical polymerization). More importantly, the highly encapsulated pigment hybrid latex particles promoted the formation of a new discontinuous film coating on the surface of single fibers, which opens up a promising avenue for replacing conventional fabric printing techniques.