Preparation and investigation of a stable hybrid inkjet printing ink of reactive dye and CHPTAC

Abstract

In this research, a hybrid ink of reactive dye and cationic modifier 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CHPTAC) was developed. The zeta potential and stability of the hybrid ink have been specifically studied. By careful selection, the stability of the hybrid ink was improved with the surfactant Tween-80, proved by the calculations of binding constants and frontier molecular orbitals as well as the electrostatic potential maps. Importantly, the hybrid ink indicated good storage stability by analyzing the surface tension, viscosity, and pH value of the ink in a period of 90 days, meeting the requirements of commercial application. The K/S value of the cotton fabric printed with the hybrid ink (containing 30% CHPTAC) was 21.68 and the dye fixation was 91.56%, which were separately 35.33% and 26.85% higher than those of the cotton fabric printed with the reactive dye ink without CHPTAC. The higher dye fixation is beneficial to significantly reduce the content of hydrolyzed dyes in the wastewater, reducing the environmental pollution. Moreover, the fabrics inkjet printed with the hybrid ink presented a good colorfastness to laundering or crocking.