Preparation of cationic cotton through reaction with different polyelectrolytes

Area of Science:

• Textile Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Dyeing Technology

Background:

• Conventional reactive dyeing of cotton generates significant effluent.
• Improving dye affinity and reducing environmental impact in textile processing is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cationization of cotton fabrics using four different quaternary ammonium reagents.
• To evaluate the impact of cationization on dye uptake, color properties, fastness, and effluent reduction.
• To assess the bactericidal activity of the cationized cotton fabrics.

Main Methods:

• Cotton fabrics were cationized using poly diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDACl), poly acrylamide-co-diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PAcD), poly[bis(2-chloroethyl) ether-alt-1,3-bis[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]urea] quaternized (P42), and 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC).
• Cationized fabrics were dyed with Reactive Red 195.
• Analysis included colorimetric properties, fastness tests, zeta potential, SEM, FTIR, and bactericidal assays.

Main Results:

• Cationization with PDDACl and CHPTAC significantly enhanced dye affinity, resulting in higher color strength (K/S values of 41-48) compared to conventional dyeing (K/S of 32).
• CHPTAC treatment enabled efficient dye removal with a single washing bath, considerably reducing effluent.
• PDDACl and P42 treatments demonstrated notable bactericidal activity.

Conclusions:

• Cationization is an effective pretreatment for enhancing reactive dye uptake on cotton.
• Specific quaternary ammonium compounds can significantly reduce effluent load and introduce antimicrobial properties to textiles.
• This approach offers a more sustainable and functional dyeing process for cotton fabrics.