Investigation of Wash Durability of Silica Nanoparticle Coated 100% Cotton Reactive Dyed Fabric Treated by Sol-Gel Technique

In this research a hydrophobic surface of 100% cotton woven fabric was developed by sol-gel technique. Fabric samples were dyed with Drimarene Reactive Red 5B and Drimarene Reactive Blue BR dyes (0.5% and 3% o.w.f) and then treated with a combination of silica nanoparticles, silane hydrophobes (alkyltrialkoxysilanes), and silane cross-linkers i.e, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and teramethoxysilane (TMOS) by dip-dry-cure process. After coating, wash durability of dyed samples was investigated for water repellency and water uptake according to AATCC standards. The effect of coating on dyeing behavior was assessed by measuring the (K/S)λmax value, while change in color (ΔE) and fastness properties of coated fabric also investigated. It has been observed that durable hydrophobicity achieved on cotton reactive dyed fabric through non-fluorine sol-gel route with silica nanoparticles with better fastness properties with little effect on shade.