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Cotton/Wool Printing with Natural Dyes Nano-Particles

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 J. Int. Environmental Application & Science, Vol. 9(1): 90-99 (2014)

Cotton/Wool Printing with Natural Dyes Nano-Particles

D. Maamoun1,, H. Osman2, S. H. Nassar3
1
Textile Printing, Dyeing & Finishing Dept., Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University, Giza, Egypt; 2Textile
Printing, Dyeing & Finishing Dept., Faculty of Applied Arts, Benha University, Benha, Egypt; 3Textile Research
Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt

Received December 22, 2013; Accepted February 02, 2014

Abstract: In the present work, cotton/wool 50/50 blended fabric is printed via three
natural dyes nanoparticles namely: turmeric, madder and rhubarb. Dye powder of
the three plants was milled for 30 days after which it was exposed to ultrasound for
6 hours. Cotton/wool substrate is mordanted prior to printing process using two
mordants separately: tartaric acid and potassium aluminium sulphate (alum). All
parameters that are found to influence colour intensity as well as fastness levels of
the prints are investigated in detail. Moreover, all required measurements that show
the impact of milling and sonication on dye particles are carried out.
Keywords: Ball miller, blended fabric, colour intensity, fastness levels, mordant,
nanoparticles, natural dyes and sonication.

Introduction
Natural dyes are as old as textiles themselves (Siva 2007). They have been used by humans for
purposes varying from coloration of food, cosmetics and textiles to imparting other functions to them
(Yi and Cho 2008). Nowadays, a revival interest in the use of natural coloration has been growing.
This is a result of the stringent environmental standards imposed by many countries in response to the
toxic and allergic reactions associated with synthetic dyes (Nagia & El-Mohamedy 2007). Natural
dyes are chemically safer than their synthetic analogous in handling and use because of their
compatibility with the environment, their non-carcinogenic and biodegradable nature (Baishya et al.
2012). Natural dyes can be used to dye different natural and man-made materials (Wakida et al. 1998).
Textile coloration using natural dyes is found to yield poor colour, have inadequate fastness
properties. To overcome such hassle, mordants are used. Metal ions of mordants act as electron
acceptors for electron donors to form co-ordination bonds with the dye molecule (Mogkholrattanasit et
al. 2011). Because of the chemistry associated with dyes from natural materials, it is necessary to
utilize fibres which have dye sites that can bond molecularly with these dyes (Bliss 1981). Cotton has
no inherent affinity for most natural dyes. However the affinity of cotton can be modified to make it
dyeable with natural dyes by the use of metallic salts (mordants) or the process of cationization which
creates positively charged sites on cotton or by addition of NaOH or enzymes (Gupta and Gupta
2002). Further, these dyes can directly dye protein fabrics under acidic pH since they have basic amino
groups in the same manner as synthetic acid dyes. Textiles can also be mordanted to give dye-metal
complexes. Hence, it is not only an acid dye but also a mordant dye (Gupt,a 2002).
Nanotechnology is concerned with materials whose structures exhibit significantly novel and
improved physical and biological properties, phenomena, and functionality due to their nanoscaled
size (Wang, 2000). It can provide high durability to fabrics, because nano-particles have a large
surface area-to-volume ratio and high surface energy, thus presenting better affinity for fabrics and
leading to an increase in durability of the function (Wong, 2006).
When matter is reduced in size, it changes its characteristics, such as colour and interaction with
other matter i.e., chemical activity. The change in characteristics is caused by the change of the
electronic properties. By particle size reduction, the surface area of the material is increased. Due to
this, a higher percentage of the atoms can interact with other matter, i.e. with the matrix of resins.
Agglomeration and aggregation blocks surface area from contact with other matter. Since most nano-
materials are available in a dry state, the particles need to be mixed into liquid formulations. This is
where most nano-particles form agglomerates during their wetting. Therefore, effective means of
deagglomerating and dispersing are required to overcome the bonding forces after wetting the micron
powder or nano-powder (URL-1).


Corresponding: E-Mail: daliamaamoun@gmail.com; Tel: +201001454214

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The application of mechanical press, generated by ultrasonic cavitations, breaks the particles
agglomerates apart. Also, liquid is pressed between the particles. Different technologies are commonly
used for dispersing powders into liquids such as high intensity sonication. It is particularly suitable for
particle treatment in the nano-size range in order to achieve the required results. Intense cavitational
forces allow for dispersing and milling particles. Ultrasonic milling and dispersing narrows the particle
size distribution curve significantly. Thus, particle characteristics and product's quality are greatly
enhanced.
The present work addresses utilizing three different plant species (turmeric, madder and rhubarb)
to be printed on cotton/wool substrate. Printing characteristics are optimized via dyes-particle size
reduction through milling as well as sonication. Subsequently, all parameters that may improve the
performance of the dyes are studied.

Materials and Methods

Materials
Substrates: The used substrate in the present work is: 50/50 mill scoured cotton/wool fabric, having a
weight of 210 g/m2 and is purchased from Golden Tex Co., Cairo, Egypt.
Natural dyes: Clean, dry, ground turmeric, madder and rhubarb plants, having the following
specifications, are used throughout the present study:

Table 1. Technical specifications of turmeric, madder and rhubarb natural dyes

English name Latin Colour Colour Chemical structure
name component Index

Curcumin
Turmeric Curcuma (Diferuloye- Natural
(Cai et al. longa Methane) Yellow 3
2004) Yellow

Indian Rubia Munjistin Natural

Madder Cardifolia (Acid/Mordant/ Red
(Deo and Paul Disperse) 8,16
2003) Red

Rhubarb Rheum 1-Chryosophanic Natural Yellow

(Dolu) emodi Quinone 23
(Gupta, 2000) (Anthraquinone)
Mordant/Disperse
Yellow

Mordants and other chemicals: All the used chemicals are of analytical grade:
Tartaric acid: C4H6O6
Potassium aluminium sulphate: KAl(SO4)2.12H2O
Mypro gum NP-16 (Meyhall): which is a non-ionic thickening agent based on modified plant seeds
gum that is capable of withstanding the acidity required in printing.
Methodology
Fabric mordanting
The used substrate (50/50 cotton/wool fabric) is mordanted prior to printing process. The mordanting
bath is set with different concentrations of both mordants, tartaric acid and potassium aluminium
sulphate, separately on weight of fabric at L.R. 1:40. Mordanting is carried out at 60 oC for 30 min.
after which the samples are washed with distilled water and air-dried.
Preparation of dye nano-particles
The three natural dyes under investigation are ground using an energy Ball Mill with a speed of 50
cycles/min. The dye powder was sealed in a hardened steel vial (AISI 44°C stainless steel) using

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hardened steel balls of 6 mm diameter. Milling was performed using a ball : powder mass ratio of 4:1.
The dye was milled at different intervals, after each milling interval the particle size of the resulted
dye powder was measured. The smallest particle size of 40, 42 and 48 nm of turmeric, madder and
rhubarb respectively, is chosen to be used in the present study and was obtained from milling the dye
powder for 30 days.
A stock solution was prepared using the milled dye particles of a concentration of 3% where 3g dye
powder was dispersed in 97 cm3 of distilled water. The suspension was irradiated afterwards with
ultrasound waves (720 kHz) and stirred at 80 oC for different periods of time (4, 6 and 8 hours.) from
which the ultrasound treatment of 8hrs. was chosen to proceed with since it gave best K/S values.
Printing procedures
To investigate each factor of the present work, a printing paste having the following formula was
applied for all dyes:
20 g Stock dye mixture
80 g Mypro gum thickener
10 g Urea
X ml Water
1000 g Total weight of paste
The pH is adjusted according to each required value using acetic acid solution. The printing paste is
applied to fabric through flat screen printing technique then, the prints are left to dry at room
temperature. Fixation of the dye is carried out via steaming at 120°C for 20 min. for all dyes. The
samples are finally washed off using 2g/l non-ionic detergent: Sera-Wash M-RK (manufactured by
Dystar Textilfarben, Germany) at a liquor ratio of 1:50. Washing is carried out at 60°C for 10 min.

Measurements
Colour Strength
The colour strength of the printed specimens expressed as K/S is evaluated by a light reflectance
technique at maximum. The spectrophotometer used is of the model ICS-Texicon Ltd., England (Judd
and Wyszecki 1975)
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
The surface morphology, structure and particle size of dye samples without milling and milled for 30
days are investigated by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Philips XL 30 attached with an EDX
unit; with an accelerating voltage of 30 K.V., magnifications range 1500-2000x and a resolution of
200 A. Before examinations, the fabric surface was prepared on an appropriate disk and coated
randomly by a spray of gold.
Transmission Electron Microscopic analysis (TEM)
The observation of the dye particle shape and the measurement of the particle size distribution of the
precipitate were performed using a JSM-5200 Scanning Electron Microscope (JEOL) using
conductive carbon paint. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is a good tool to study the particle
size and morphology of dyes. TEM gives a good resolution down to a nanometer scale. Photographs
were taken using JEOL-2010.
Fourier Transition Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)
Fourier Transition Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of the samples was recorded using a Brucker-FTIR.
The method includes mixing few mgs. of a fine powder of the sample with KBr powder in a gate
mortar. The mixture was then pressed by means of hydraulic press. The absorbance was automatically
registered against wave number (cm-1).
Optical properties (UV-Visible spectra)
The optical absorption of dye particles dissolved in distilled water were recorded in the wave length
range 400-800 nm employed using a Shimadzu spectrophotometer, at room temperature.
Fastness properties
Fastness properties of cotton/wool prints to rubbing, washing and perspiration are assessed according
to standard methods (Iso Test for Colour Fastness of Textile Substrates 1969).
Tensile mechanical testing
The samples are cut into strips and every data point is the average of 3 tests. Tensile strength
measurement is carried out using a Textile Tensile Strength tester No: 6202, 1987, type: Asano
Machine MFG, Japan.

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Results and Discussion

Mordant concentration
Natural dyes have limited substantivity for fibres and require the use of a mordant to enhance fixation
of the natural colorant on fibres by the formation of a complex with the dye (Maulik and Padhan
2005). Metallic mordants anchored to any fibre, chemically combine with certain mordantable
functional groups present in the natural dye and bind by coordinated/covalent bonds or hydrogen
bonds and other interactional forces as shown below (URL-2):

Mechanism of fixation of natural dyes through mordants

The influence of mordant type as well as concentration on colour intensity of printed cotton/wool
substrate with the three natural dyes nanoparticles is studied through using different concentrations (0,
20, 40, 60 and 80 g/l) of both mordants (tartaric acid and alum) and the results are plotted in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Effect of mordant type and concentration on K/S values of cotton/wool fabrics printed with
the three dye nanoparticles

It is obvious from the figure that, optimum K/S values may be achieved on premordanting the
substrates with 60 g/l mordant regardless of the mordant type and dye used. The latter result is due to
obtaining developments in colour intensity of the prints by 49.4, 40 and 65.3 % for turmeric, madder
and rhubarb dyes respectively, premordanted with tartaric acid compared with the typical
unmordanted substrate. On the other hand, for printed cotton/wool substrate with turmeric, madder and
rhubarb dyes premordanted with alum, K/S improvements by 66, 38.1 and 77.5 % are accomplished
respectively, all compared with the unmordanted substrates printed also with dyes nanoparticles.
It is important to notify that, both mordants lead to almost similar K/S enhancements with all
dyes. Besides, huge K/S developments are achieved on comparing the printed substrates with regular
dyes and nano-scaled dyes, all treated with both mordants separately. For cotton/wool substrate
premordanted using tartaric acid and printed with turmeric, madder and rhubarb dyes, improvements
in colour intensities by 226.9, 171.2 and 144.8 % respectively are observed. While for similar prints
premordanted by alum, developments in colour intensities by 287.3, 195.5 and 144.8 % respectively
are noticed. The former results are referred to the influence of both milling as well as sonication of dye
powders that lead to particle size reduction. Grinding increases the specific surface area (ssa) of the
ground particles due to particle size reduction (Franco et al. 2004). A feasible technique for particle-

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size reduction is ultrasound. Cavitational collapse sonication in solids leads to microjet and shock-
wave-impacts on the surface, together with interparticle collisions, which can result in particle-size
reduction (Peters, 1996).

Urea concentration
Urea is an essential auxiliary in printing pastes because during the steaming process, particularly
during the use of superheated steam, it is mainly used to swell the fibres so that the dye can rapidly
penetrate the fibres (Achwal 2002, Chen et al. 2002). Urea acts as a solvent for the dye as it performs
as a moisture-absorbing agent to increase the moisture regain during the steaming process. Thus, urea
accelerates the migration of dye from the thickener film into the fibres. The influence of urea
concentration on colour intensity of cotton/wool printed substrate with the three natural dyes
nanoparticles is studied through adding different concentrations to their recipes (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30
g/kg) and the results are plotted in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Effect of urea concentration on K/S values of cotton/wool fabrics pretreated with tartaric
acid as well as alum, separately, and printed with the three dye nanoparticles

It can be concluded from the figure that, best K/S values can be obtained by adding 10 g/kg urea
to printing recipes regardless of the mordant or the dye used with the substrate. Enhancements in K/S
by 7.8, 13.6 and 10.2 % can be achieved for prints with turmeric, madder and rhubarb dyes
respectively, premordanted with tartaric acid compared with similar printed substrates without urea
addition to their recipes. On the other hand, similar enhancements by 8.6, 2.4 and 3 % are observed for
premordanted substrates with alum.
The above results are explained by the fact that, urea enhances the solubility of dyes in the
printing paste due to its salvation and disaggregating action on dye molecules (Labarthe 1975). This
action varies from one dye to another according to its ability to dissolve in the printing paste.
Therefore, the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance of the dye molecule will determine its ability to
dissolve under the action of urea. Hydrophobic dyes such as disperse dyes are not affected by urea
addition as the more hydrophilic dyes. Therefore, increasing the hydrophobic character of the used
natural dyes may diminish the solvolysis effect of urea and reduces its role in the printing paste.

Printing paste pH
Coloration of textiles with natural dyes can be carried out in alkaline, acidic or neutral medium
depending on both: the used substrate and dye. Wool is a natural protein fibre that has a complex
chemical structure and is very much susceptible to alkali attack (at pH>9). Hence, printing of the
cotton/wool substrate used in the present work needs special care to avoid fibre damage by alkaline
pH. Moreover, wool contains equal number of amino and carboxylic groups held together as salt
linkages which bridges the main peptide chains (Bird 1951). Printing paste pH is considered as an
effective factor in colour variation and subsequently, the influence of printing paste pH on colour
intensity of the prints is studied by applying values (4, 5, 6, 6.5 and 7) and the results are exhibited in
Figure 3.

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Figure 3. Effect of printing paste pH on K/S values of cotton/wool fabrics pretreated with tartaric acid
as well as alum, separately, and printed with the three dye nanoparticles

It is clear from the figure that, maximum K/S values can be obtained at pH 6, 5 and 6.5 for
cotton/wool substrate printed with turmeric, madder and rhubarb nanoparticles respectively, regardless
of the mordant used prior to printing process. These results confirm well with literature provided that
printing is expected to be carried out at weak acidic medium which slightly varies according to natural
dye structure.
Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) studies
Figure 4 shows the surface morphology, structure and particle size of dye samples without milling and
milled for 30 days. Figure 4 (a, c and e) show the SEM images of the unground dye which indicate
that, dye particles have different shapes like breaking dishes shape, spherical shape and tiny sprinkled
dots. The micrographs in Figure 4 (b, d and f) indicate uniform spherical dye nanoparticles. The
difference in particle size after grinding is referred to their dissociation due to the impact of shear
forces that act on dye particles in the ball miller which converted the particle size gradually from 60,
80 and 113 nm (before milling) to 40, 34 and 48 nm (after 30 days of milling) for turmeric, madder
and rhubarb dyes respectively.

Figure 4. SEM images of dye particles: a) turmeric before milling, b) turmeric after milling, c)
madder before milling, d) madder after milling, e) rhubarb before milling, f) rhubarb after milling

Fourier Transition Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)

FT-IR spectra of the unground and ground madder, turmeric and rhubarb particles are shown in Figure
5. FTIR spectra is measured to investigate the effect of milling on the functional groups of materials.
Madder contains several polyphenolic compounds like 1,3-Dihydroxy-anthraquinone
(purpuroxanthin), 1,4-Dihydroxyanthraquinone (quinizarin), 1,2,4-Trihydroxyanthraquinone
(purpurin) and 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone (alizarin) (Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary). FT-
IR spectrum of the unground madder (a) shows absorption at peaks 3450, 2925, 1634, 1318, 1035 and
518 cm-1. The bands at 1636, 1035 and 518 cm-1 can be attributed to the carbonyl groups, the in-plane
and out-of-plane C–H bending, respectively. The bands at 3450 and 2927 cm-1 are attributed to OH
groups of polyphenols in the dye. The spectrum of the ground madder (b) exhibits a very slight shift in
the peak at 1636 cm-1 which may be attributed to particle size reduction.
Turmeric contains curcumin which incorporates several functional groups. The aromatic ring
systems, which are phenols, are connected by two α, β-unsaturated carbonyl groups. The diketons
form stable enols and are readily deprotonated to form enolates; the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group is
a good Michael acceptor and undergoes nucleophilic addition. FT-IR spectrum of the unground

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turmeric (c) shows absorption at peaks 3450, 2925, 2854, 1637, 1458, 1155 and 1031, 572 cm-1. The
bands at 1637, 1155 and 578 cm-1 can be attributed to the carbonyl groups, the in-plane and out-of-
plane C–H bending, respectively. The bands at 3450, 2927 cm-1 are attributed to OH groups of
turmeric dye. While the spectrum of the ground turmeric (d) exhibits shift in the peaks at 1158cm-1
and appearing of 2854 and 1514 cm-1 which is may be attributed to decreasing the particle size.
FT-IR spectrum of the unground rhubarb (e) shows absorption at peaks 3450, 2927, 1633, 1384, 1050
and 578 cm-1. The bands at 1633, 1050 and 578 cm-1 can be attributed to the carbonyl groups, the in-
plane and out-of-plane C–H bending, respectively. The bands at 3450, 2927 cm-1 are attributed to OH
groups of polyphenols in the dye. The spectrum of the ground rhubarb (f) exhibits shifts in the peaks
1633, 1448 cm-1 which is may be attributed to particle size reduction.

Figure 5. FT-IR spectra of: a) Unground madder, b) Ground madder, c) Unground turmeric, d)
Ground turmeric, e) Unground rhubarb, f) Ground rhubarb

UV–Visible spectroscope
UV–visible spectroscopy was employed to characterize the optical properties of the ground and
unground natural plants such as madder, turmeric and rhubarb and the data are represented in Figure 6.
Turmeric (Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary) is a diarylheptanoid. Turmeric's other two
curcuminoids are desmethoxycurcumin and bis-desmethoxycurcumin. The curcuminoids are natural
phenols that are responsible for the yellow colour of turmeric. Turmeric can exist in several tautomeric
forms, including a 1,3-diketon form and two equivalent enol forms. The enol form is more
energetically stable in the solid phase and in solution (Tsonko et al. 2005). Figure (6a, b) show the
results of optical absorption spectra of turmeric in visible region. It can be seen from UV-visible
spectra (a) that, the unground turmeric particles show an absorption band around 554 nm
characteristics of yellow colour. Turmeric, bis (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-
dione, is a natural yellow-orange dye derived from the rhizome of curcuma longa. On the other hand,
the UV-visible spectra (a) of ground turmeric particles reveal a strong change in their optical
absorption when their size is reduced. The spectra of ground turmeric particles show blue shift of the
main bands (to a lower wave length) that appears at 535 nm. This is may be attributed to the lowering
of the particle size as a result of milling due to quantum confinement effect.
Figure (6c, d) show the results of optical absorption spectra of madder in visible region. It can be
seen from UV-visible spectra (c) that, the unground madder particles show absorption band in the
range from 400 to 490 nm characteristics of red colour. The red colour is referred to that madder
contains polyphenols, compounds like 1,3-Dihydroxy-anthraquinone (purpuroxanthin), 1,4-
Dihydroxyanthraquinone (quinizarin), 1,2,4-Trihydroxyanthraquinone (purpurin) and 1,2-
dihydroxyanthraquinone (alizarin). The spectra of ground madder particles show red shift of
absorption (to a higher wave length) that appears at 501-592 nm. This is may be attributed to particle
size lowering due to milling.

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Figure (6e, f) show the results of optical absorption spectra of rhubarb in visible region. It can be
seen in UV-visible spectra (f) that, the unground rhubarb particles show two main absorption bands
around 444 and 411nm characteristics of red brown colour. The red colour is referred to that rhubarb
contains polyphenols, compounds such as lycopene and anthocyanin. Rhubarb also contains
glycosides- especially rhein, glucorhein, and emodin, which impart cathartic and laxative properties
(Diaz 1990). On the other hand, the UV-visible spectra (e) of ground rhubarb particles reveal a strong
change in their optical absorption when their size is reduced. The spectra of ground rhubarb particles
show blue shift of the main bands (to a lower wave length) and appear at 440 and around 400 nm. This
is may be attributed to particle size lowering due to milling because of quantum confinement effect.

Fastness properties
The overall fastness properties of printed cotton/wool substrate with the three dyes (in the blank
regular form as well as the nanoparticle form) are tested and evaluated in terms of rubbing, washing,
perspiration and tensile strength, using optimum conditions of both premordanting as well as printing
recipes, and the results are exhibited in the following table:
Fastness properties of cotton/wool substrate printed with turmeric, madder and rhubarb regular dye
particles (blank) as well as dyes nanoparticles using optimum pretreatment as well as paste conditions.

Table 2. Fastness properties of cotton/wool substrate printed with turmeric, madder and rhubarb
regular dye particles (blank) as well as dyes nanoparticles using optimum pretreatment as well as paste
conditions

Tensile strength
Substrate Status K/S Rubbing Washing Perspiration Tenacity Elongation
Values Acidic Alkaline (kg) (%)
Dry Wet St. Alt. St. Alt. St. Alt.
Blank prints of turmeric
pretreated with tartaric 1.60 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 41.155 0.183
acid
Prints of nano-turmeric
pretreated with tartaric 5.23 4-5 4 4-5 4-5 4 4 4-5 4-5 41.155 0.183
acid
Blank prints of turmeric
pretreated with alum 1.69 4 4 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 50.46 0.193
Prints of nano-turmeric
pretreated with alum 5.81 4-5 4 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 50.46 0.193
Blank prints with madder
pretreated with tartaric 2.22 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 48.58 0.177
acid
Prints with nano-madder
pretreated with tartaric 6.02 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4 4 4 4 48.58 0.177
acid
Blank prints of madder
pretreated with alum 2.01 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 61.395 0.197
Prints of nano-madder
pretreated with alum 5.94 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4 4 4 4 61.395 0.197

Blank prints of rhubarb

pretreated with tartaric 2.70 4 4 4 4 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 44.08 0.183
acid
Prints of nano-rhubarb
pretreated with tartaric 6.61 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 44.08 0.183
acid
Blank prints of rhubarb
pretreated with alum 2.90 4 4 4 4 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 56.54 0.200

Prints of nano-rhubarb 7.10 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 56.54 0.200
pretreated with alum
St. = Staining on cotton, Alt. = Alteration

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Figure 6. UV-Visible spectra of: a) Unground turmeric, b) Ground turmeric, c) Unground madder, d)
Ground madder, e) Ground rhubarb, f) Unground rhubarb,

From the previous table it can be concluded that, colourfastness ratings of all prints in question range
from good to excellent, which ensures the existence of strong bonds between dye molecules and the
fibres leading to making them quite satisfactory for practical application purposes. On the other hand,
considerable improvements in fastness levels are observed comparing printing with dye nanoparticles
to printing with the regular dye. Concerning the influence of premordanting on tensile strength of the
substrate it should be noted that, a slight reduction is detected in fibres' tenacity for both mordants but
can be ignored since it is within the allowed limit.

Conclusion
 Three natural dyes namely, turmeric, madder and rhubarb are milled and exposed to ultrasound
waves in order to reduce their particle size to the nano-scale and to accelerate fibres' chemical
reactivity.
 Cotton/wool blended substrate is padded using two mordants separately [tartaric acid or potassium
aluminium sulphate (alum)] to increase the affinity as well as dye fixation onto fibres via formation
of complex bonds.
 The aforementioned dyes are successfully used in printing the substrate i.e., huge colour intensity
developments are achieved comparing printing using the regular dye with the nanoparticle dye.
Also, printing is carried out incorporating urea in printing recipes at weak acidic medium.
 Different measurements are employed to illustrate the influence of milling and sonication on dye
particles are included such as: SEM, FT-IR and UV-visual spectroscopes. Besides, assessment of
fastness properties is carried out.
 The investigated parameters imply that, optimization of printing performance using the three
natural colorants is fulfilled which is referred to particle size reduction due to the effect of milling
and sonication.

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