Fabrication of reactive pigment composite particles for blue-light curable inkjet printing of textiles

The reactive pigment composite particles were fabricated by a two-step method. Phthalocyanine Blue (PB) was encapsulated with silica through a Sol–Gel method in the first step, and the encapsulation conditions were optimized. 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate was then grafted onto the silica encapsulated organic pigment (EPB) in the second step, and the FT-IR analysis indicated that the relevant functional groups had been introduced onto the EPB. The particle size, hydrophilicity and the color characteristics of the Reactive Phthalocyanine Blue (RPB) changed little in comparison with PB. The photo-polymerization performance of the RPB-based ink showed a certain increase, and the fastness toward crocking of the printed fabrics was coordinately improved.