Interactions between dyes and surfactants in inkjet ink used for textiles

Optimal preparation of inkjet ink should be possible through the elucidation of the relationship between dye/additive interactions and ink performance. In the present study, the interactions between the dyes and surfactant additives were investigated. To investigate the physical properties of the surfactants used, the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the aggregation number (N) were determined using electron spin resonance, static light-scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopy. On the basis of the cmc and N values, the visible absorption spectra of aqueous acid dye solutions (C. I. Acid Red 88, 13, and 27) containing surfactants (i.e., Surfynol 465 (S465), octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (OGDE), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) were measured. From the dependence of the spectra on the surfactant concentration, the binding constants, K(bind), of the acid dyes with the surfactant micelles were calculated: the K(bind) values decreased in the order of C. I. Acid Red 88 > C. I. Acid Red 13 > C. I. Acid Red 27, which correlates with the number of sulfonate groups. For all the dyes, the K(bind) values with the nonionic surfactants, S465 and OGDE, were much larger than those with the anionic surfactant, SDS. The thermodynamic parameters of the binding, i.e., the enthalpy change, ΔH(bind), and entropy change, ΔS(bind), were determined via the temperature dependence of the binding constants. The positive ΔH(bind) value for S465 indicates an endothermic binding process, while the negative ΔH(bind) values for SDS and OGDE indicate exothermic binding processes.