Enhancing color characteristics of dyed cotton and polyester cotton blend fabrics with the use of zinc oxide nano particles.

Abstract

In this study, color characteristics of the dyed cotton and polyester-cotton fabrics were enhanced by the use of Zinc oxide Nano particles to solve the problem of fading. Pieces of cotton and polyester-cotton blend fabrics were scoured, dyed separately using synthetic dyes (vat, reactive and disperse dyes) and natural dyes (extracted from stem barks of Albizia Coriaria, Morinda Lucida and Harungana Madagascariensis) following standard procedures. After dyeing, others were functionalized with Zinc oxide Nano-particle emulsion. Fastness properties (light, wash and rub fastness) and color strength (KJS) values of' the dyed, dyed and functionalized cotton and polyester-cotton fabrics were. separately determined. ZnO Nano particle functionalized fabrics registered better grades of light, wash and rub fastness than the unfunctionalised fabrics, Functionalized fabrics (cotton and. PC fabrics) dyed with synthetic dyes (vat, disperse-vat, reactive, disperse-reactive) registered very good to. excellent (5-6) grades of light fastness than. those dyed with natural dyes, good to very good (4-5) grades of wash fastness and good (4), moderate to good (3-4) Of dry and wet rub fastness. ZnO Nano particles also increased color strength values of the dyed fabrics. Key words: ZnO Nano particles, cotton and polyester-cotton blend fabrics, color fastness, synthetic and natural dyes, color strength (K/S) values