Improving printing performance on linen fabric
Researchers report on the construction of a new surface on linen fabric by hydroxyethyl cellulose for improving the inkjet printing performance of reactive dyes.
Linen fabric as a natural fiber is one of the most popular textile products globally due to its excellent moisture absorption, antistatic, and antibacterial characteristics. However, it is still challenging to improve the colour strength and utilisation rate of reactive dye inks for printed linen fabrics. Researchers now proposed a polymer treatment agent to construct a new surface on linen fabric through a padding process, containing hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and urea. Then the fabric inkjet-printed with reactive dye inks.
Higher performance
The results indicated that the HEC treated inkjet-printed linen fabric produced a higher performance with a satisfying fixation rate, more in-depth, and brighter colour effect than sodium alginate (SA) treatment. SEM, wettability analysis, XPS and FTIR results revealed that the HEC treatment agent formed a film structure on the fabric to create new surfaces with more hydrophobic contact angle. XRD demonstrated no significant effect of HEC treatment on the aggregate structure of linen fiber. Also, the printed linen fabrics exhibited a satisfying colour fastness and breaking strength.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 154, May 2021.
