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

90

Cotton/Wool Printing with Natural Dyes Nano-Particles

D. Maamoun1,

, H. Osman2, S. H. Nassar

3

1Textile 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

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

91

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

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

English name Latin

name

Colour

component

Colour

Index

Chemical structure

Turmeric

(Cai et al.

2004)

Curcuma

longa

Curcumin

(Diferuloye-

Methane)

Yellow

Natural

Yellow 3

Indian

Madder

(Deo and Paul

2003)

Rubia

Cardifolia

Munjistin

(Acid/Mordant/

Disperse)

Red

Natural

Red

8,16

Rhubarb

(Dolu)

(Gupta, 2000)

Rheum

emodi

1-Chryosophanic

Quinone

(Anthraquinone) Mordant/Disperse

Yellow

Natural Yellow

23

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

92

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.

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

93

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-

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

94

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.

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

95

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

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

96

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.

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

97

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

Substrate Status

K/S

Values

Rubbing

Washing

Perspiration

Tensile strength

Tenacity

(kg)

Elongation

(%) Acidic Alkaline

Dry Wet St. Alt. St. Alt. St. Alt.

Blank prints of turmeric

pretreated with tartaric

acid

1.60

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

41.155

0.183

Prints of nano-turmeric

pretreated with tartaric

acid

5.23

4-5

4

4-5

4-5

4

4

4-5

4-5

41.155

0.183

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

acid

2.22

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

48.58

0.177

Prints with nano-madder

pretreated with tartaric

acid

6.02

4-5

4-5

4-5

4-5

4

4

4

4

48.58

0.177

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

acid

2.70

4

4

4

4

3-4

3-4

3-4

3-4

44.08

0.183

Prints of nano-rhubarb

pretreated with tartaric

acid

6.61

4-5

4-5

4-5

4-5

3-4

3-4

3-4

3-4

44.08

0.183

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

pretreated with alum

7.10 4-5

4-5 4-5 4-5 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 56.54 0.200

St. = Staining on cotton, Alt. = Alteration

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

98

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.

References Achwal WB, (2002) Textile Chemical Principles of Digital Textile Printing (DTP). Colourage. 49, 33-

34.

Baishya D, Talkdar J, Sandhya S, (2012) Cotton dyeing with Natural Dye Extracted from Flower of

Bottlebrush (Callistemon Citrinus). Univer. J. Environ. Res. & Techno., 2, 377-378.

Bird CL, (1951) The Theory and Practice of Wool Dyeing, 2nd

Ed. Society of Dyers and Colourists. Bliss A, (1981) A Handbook of Dyes from Natural Materials. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York.

Cai Y, Sun M, Xing J, Corke H, (2004) Antioxidant Phenolic Constituents in Roots of ReumOfficinale

and Rubia Cordifolia: Structure-Radical Scavening Activity Relationships. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 7884-7890.

Chen W, Wang G, Bai Y, (2002) Best for Wool Fabric Printing-Digital ink-jet. Textile Asia, 33, 37-39.

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

99

Deo HT, Paul R, (2003) Eco-Friendly Mordant for Natural Dyeing of Denim. Int. Dyer, 188, 49-52.

Diaz AN, (1990) Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy and Photochemistry of 1, 10-Anthraquinone

Derivatives: A Review. J. Photochem. & Photobiology, 53, 141 – 167.

Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, (2011) 2nd

Ed. Elsevier, UK. Franco F, Perez-Maqueda LA, Perez-Rodriguez TL, (2004) The Effect of Ultrasound on Particle Size

and Structural Disorder of a Well-Ordered Kaolinite. J. Colloid & Interf. Sci., 274, 107-117.

Gupta D, Gupta P, (2002) Convention on Natural Dyes. Colourage, 49, 87-89. Gupta D, (2000) Mechanism of Dyeing Synthetic Fibres with Natural Dyes. Clourage, 47, 23- 24.

Gupta S, (2002) Natural Dyes-A Real Alternative. International Dyer. 187, 17-19.

URL-1 http://www.hielscher.com/ultrasonics/nano_00.htm, (accessed in 20/11/2013).

URL-2 Samanta AK, Konar A. Dyeing of Textiles with Natural Dyes www.intechopen.com, (accessed

in 23/12/2013). Iso Test for Colour Fastness of Textile Substrates, (1969) Rio 5171. Iso Technical Committees.

Judd BD, Wyszecki H, (1975) Colour in Business: Science and Industry. 3rd

Ed., John Wiley & Sons.

Labarthe J, (1975) Elements of Textiles, Macmillan Publishing Co., New York. Maulik SR, Padhan SC, (2005) Dyeing Wool and Silk with Hinjal Bark, Jujube Bark and Himalaya

Rhubarb, Man-Made Textiles in India, 48, 396-400.

Mogkholrattanasit R, Krystufek J, Weiner J, Vikova M, (2011) Dyeing Fastness and UV Protection

Properties of Silk and Wool Fabrics Dyed with Eucalyptus Leaf Extract by the Exhausion Process. Fibres and Textiles, 19, 94-99.

Nagia FA, and El-Mohamedy R, (2007) Dyeing of Wool with Natural Anthraquinone Dyes from

Fusarium Oxisporum. Dyes and Pigments, 75, 550-555. Peters D, (1996) Ultrasound in Materials Chemistry. J. Material Chem., 6, 1605.

Siva R, (2007) Status of Natural Dyes and Dye-Yielding Plants in India. Current Sci., 92, 916-925.

Tsonko KM, Evelina VA, Bistra SA, Michael S, (2005) DFT and Experimental Studies of the

Structure and Vibrational Spectra of Curcumin. Int. J. Quantum Chem., 102, 1069–1079. Wakida T, Choi S, Tokino S, (1998) Effect of Low Temperature Plasma Treatment on Colour of Wool

and Nylon 6 Fabric Dyed with Natural Dyes. Textile Research J., 68, 848-853.

Wang ZL, (2000) Characterization of Nanophase Materials, Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Veslag GmbH, London (UK).

Wong YWT, Yuen CWM, Leung MYS, Ku SKA, Lam HLI, (2006) Selected Applications on

Nanotechnology in Textiles. AUTEX Research J., 6, 1-8. Yi E, Cho J, (2008) Colour Analysis of Natural Colorant-Dyed Fabrics. Colour Res. & Appl., 23, 148-

160.