Ink-jet Printed Cotton Fabric Research Articles

Regulating the Alkyl Chain Length of Quaternary Ammonium Salt to Enhance the Inkjet Printing Performance on Cationic Cotton Fabric with Reactive Dye Ink.

Cationic modification of cotton fabric was an effective way to improve the inkjet printing performance with reactive dye ink. However, there were few research studies that focused on the effect of the cationic agent structure, especially the alkyl chain length of the quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) cationic modifier, on the K/S value, dye fixation, and diffusion of inkjet-printed cotton fabric. In our work, different alkyl chain lengths of QAS were synthesized, and the inkjet printing performance of cationic cotton fabrics treated with different QASs was investigated. Compared with untreated cotton fabric, the K/S value and dye fixation of cationic cotton fabric treated with different QASs improved by 10.7 to 69.3% and 16.9 to 27.7%, respectively. With the increase in alkyl chain length of QAS, the interaction force between anionic reactive dyes and cationic QAS gradually increased mainly due to the fact that more N-positive ions on the quaternary ammonium group were exposed under the action of steric hindrance of alkyl chain length through the XPS spectrum. The electrostatic attraction between cationic cotton and reactive dye contributed to the diffusion of reactive dye into the fiber interior and enhanced the reaction probability of nucleophilic substitution reaction between monochlorotriazine reactive dye and the hydroxyl group of cotton fabric. The antibacterial result of the inkjet-printed cotton fabric indicated that when the alkyl chain length of QAS was higher than 8, the cationic cotton fabric obtained good antibacterial property.

Agricultural crops of sarsaparilla root as source of natural dye for inkjet printing and bio-functional finishing of cotton fabric

In this research, the extraction conditions of natural dyes from Sarsaparilla root were analyzed by response surface method, and the interaction between extract factors and their significant effects on sarsaparilla root extraction efficiency were discussed. The main components of Sarsaparilla root extraction were investigated by ATR-FTIR and chromogenic reaction, and the stability results of Sarsaparilla root extraction indicated that sarsaparilla root extraction obtained well thermal stability within the range of 60–100 ℃ as well as acceptable pH stability. The ATR-FTIR and XPS were obtained to confirm that the cationic modifier was fixed on the cellulose fiber through covalent bonds in the synchronous inkjet printing process, and the effect of cationic modifier’s alkyl chain length on the inkjet printing performance was clarified by Gaussian simulation calculation. The colorfastness of Sarsaparilla root natural dye ink was further improved by post-mordant treatment, and the mechanism of colorfastness improvement was elucidated by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The inkjet printed cotton fabrics with CHPTAC-8 ink and Sarsaparilla root ink indicated well UV protection (134.87) and antibacterial property against both Staphylococcus aureus (96.3 %) and Escherichia coli (99.1 %).

Cleaner production of inkjet printed cotton fabrics using a urea-free ecosteam process

We report the development of a cleaner process of producing inkjet printed cotton fabrics with improved color strength, absorbed dye fixation, ink penetration and colorfastness. Inkjet printing of cotton is typically done in the dry state and requires long durations (40–60 min), use of hazardous chemicals and considerable amounts of urea. In this research, ecosteam process has been developed that can print cotton in the wet state in a short time without using urea resulting in better quality, lower costs and lesser harm to the environment. The effect of ecosteam process conditions on the color strength (K/S value), absorbed dye fixation, whiteness index, ink penetration of printed cotton, colorfastness to laundering and crocking were studied. The drying behavior of the wet cotton in ecosteam process was also investigated. An ecosteam process at a temperature of 120 °C for 10 min with relative humidity of 80% was proved to be efficient for imparting reactive print fixation to cotton fabric. The new method of printing improves the K/S value, dye fixation, ink penetration and colorfastness of printed cotton by about 2.44%, 15.79%, 493.47% and 25%, respectively compared to conventional process. Ecosteam process is a cleaner method that can eliminate the use of urea from inkjet printing process. In addition, ecosteam process does not require twice drying after pre-treatment and twice washing after steaming, resulting in higher production efficiency and lower energy consumption.

Improved color performance of reactive dye inkjet printing on cotton fabrics by controlling ink droplets spreading

Ink drop spreading is an important factor influencing the ink dots distribution which determines the color performance of reactive dye inkjet printed cotton fabrics. In order to control the ink drop spreading, a higher fatty acid derivative (PT) was introduced in the traditional pretreatment solution of sodium alginate. When compared with the untreated fabric, the ink drop spreading area was reduced from 104.9 to 92.5 and 72.3 mm2 on sodium alginate treated and sodium alginate plus PT treated fabrics, respectively. The ink dots on the inkjet printed fabrics with the pretreatment of sodium alginate plus PT were narrow and short. Colorimetric values indicate that the color performance of sodium alginate plus PT treated fabrics was better than that of sodium alginate treated fabrics. Thus, the color performance of reactive dye inkjet printing was improved by the ink droplet spreading inhibitor PT.

Ink-jet printing for Plasma-treated Cotton Fabric with Biomaterial

Currently, sodium alginate is commonly used for preparing the printing medium for digital ink-jet printing due to its ready solubility and excellent stability even at high-temperature fixation treatments. Similar to sodium alginate, chitosan is also widely used as novel biomaterial. As a natural polymer, sodium alginate and chitosan are biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic. Therefore, chitosan may be used as a chemical for preparing printing medium for digital ink-jet printing for cotton fabric. Recently, low temperature plasma (LTP) treatment has proved to be an effective pretreatment method for the improving coating process by altering the surface properties of the material without much changing of the bulk properties. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of applying LTP treatment as pretreatment process to enhance the coating of printing medium, i.e. sodium alginate and sodium alginate/chitosan mixture, so as to improve the final properties of the digital ink-jet printed cotton fabric.

Using atmospheric pressure plasma for enhancing the deposition of printing paste on cotton fabric for digital ink-jet printing

Atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) treatment was applied as a pretreatment process to enhance the deposition of printing paste in order to improve the final colour properties of digital ink-jet printed cotton fabrics. Three printing pastes containing natural polymers, i.e. (1) sodium alginate, (2) chitosan and (3) sodium alginate-chitosan mixture, were prepared separately. After APP treatment, cotton fabric was padded with different printing pastes prior to digital ink-jet printing. Experimental results showed that APP pretreatment could increase the colour yield of the digital ink-jet printed cotton fabric significantly even after washing. In addition, other properties such as colour fastness to crocking, colour fastness to laundering, outline sharpness and anti-bacterial properties were also improved when compared with those of the control cotton fabric printed without APP pretreatment. However, the influence of printing paste on the colour properties of the digital ink-jet printed cotton fabrics depended very much on the composition of the printing paste. The scanning electron microscope images evidenced that the APP treatment could enhance the deposition of printing paste on the cotton fabric surface as proved qualitatively by both the contact angle and wetting time measurement as well as quantitatively by both the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and carboxyl group/nitrogen content analysis.

Influence of low temperature plasma treatment on the properties of ink-jet printed cotton fabric

The aim of this paper is to study the possibility and effectiveness of applying LTP treatment to enhance the performance of pre-treatment paste containing sodium alginate so as to improve the properties of the ink-jet printed cotton fabric. Experimental results revealed that the LTP pre-treatment in couple with the ink-jet printing technique could improve the final printed properties of cotton fabric.

The use of plasma pre-treatment for enhancing the performance of textile ink-jet printing

In this study the effect of low temperature plasma (LTP) treatment of cotton fabric for ink-jet printing was investigated. Owing to the specific printing and conductivity requirements for ink-jet printing, none of the conventional printing chemicals used for cotton fabric can be directly incorporated into the ink formulation. As a result, the cotton fabric requires treatment with the printing chemicals prior to the stage of ink-jet printing. The printing chemicals as a treatment to cotton fabric are applied by the coating method. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility and effectiveness of applying LTP pre-treatment to enhance the performance of treatment paste containing sodium alginate, to improve the properties of the ink-jet printed cotton fabric. Experimental results revealed that the LTP pre-treatment in conjunction with the ink-jet printing technique could improve the final properties of printed cotton fabric.

Factors Affecting the Color Yield of an Ink-Jet Printed Cotton Fabric

We attempt to study and understand the factors affecting the final color yield of ink-jet printed cotton fabrics. These factors include the content of the pretreatment paste (the amount of sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, and urea) and the duration of steaming time. Four different colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, are considered, and the influences of these factors on the four colors are studied. The results show that not only the individual factors affect the final color yield, but the interaction effects of the factors also play a role.

The effect of the pretreatment print paste contents on colour yield of an ink-jet printed cotton fabric

Optimum condition concerning the content of pretreatment print paste and steaming time for ink-jet printing was newly developed through the orthogonal analysis. The cotton fabric treated under the newly developed optimum condition could achieve a high level of colour yield similar to that of the commercially pretreated cotton fabric available in the market for ink-jet printing. The results were discussed thoroughly in this paper.

Effect of steaming conditions on colour and consistency of ink‐jet printed cotton using reactive dyes

The influence of steaming time, temperature, presence of wrapping paper and the position of the fabric in the steamer have been investigated as factors influencing the colour strength and consistency of ink‐jet printed cotton fabrics using reactive dyes. Two commonly used steamers, the high temperature and the atmospheric type, were examined. Differences in shade were attributed to variability in reactive dye fixation and degree of hydrolysis of the dye. Recommended conditions for both types of steamer have been established and guidance is available for textile designers and producers, and for the manufacturers of steamers for this application. Some data from this paper were presented at the 2003 AATCC International Conference and Exhibition, Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and at the 2003 Conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association, Savannah, Georgia, USA.