Influence of different finishing conditions on the wet fastness of selected disperse dyes on polylactic acid fabrics

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of different finishing conditions on the amount of thermal migration and the wet fastness properties of selected red disperse dyes on polylactic acid fabrics. A comparison was made with a correspondingly finished polyethyleneterephthalate fabric, with a specific objective being to identify the conditions that would give optimum wet fastness to the polylactic acid fabric. A greater thermal migration of dye was observed on the polylactic acid compared with polyethyleneterephthalate fabric under the same heat treatment conditions, resulting in a lower level of wet fastness. The lowering in wet fastness of dyed polylactic acid fabric on processing occurs mainly as a result of thermal migration of disperse dyes during the drying stage at 110 °C. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Society of Dyers and Colourists.