No abstract

Meta-aramid fibre is very difficult to dye because of its very high crystallinity. The major issues with dyeing meta-aramid fibre are its selective dyeability with a particular class of dye and poor light fastness, especially with basic dyes, which is not acceptable. In this work, various dyeing trials of meta-aramid fabric with two commercial basic dyes, Bezacryl Golden Yellow GL 200 and Bezacryl Blue FBS, were conducted on high temperature-high pressure and infrared dyeing machines. To improve the light fastness of dyed samples, titanium dioxode nanoparticles were applied on dyed fabric using a layer-by-layer technique. Fastness properties such as light, wash and rubbing were checked for untreated and titanium dioxode-treated samples. Titanium dioxode application on dyed material improved the light fastness of Bezacryl Golden Yellow-dyed samples significantly, and Bezacryl Blue FBS also showed an improved rating compared with that previously reported. Improvement in light fastness is selective but it is still a novel and viable route to improve the light fastness of dyed meta-aramid fabrics.