Preparation and characterization of self-dispersive and reactive carbon black and its application in cotton fabric

This study aims to develop a self-dispersive and reactive carbon black (DRCB) to improve its application in cotton fabric. CB was functionalized with γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (KH550) and then grafted with as-synthesized compound to obtain aqueous phase DRCB. FTIR analysis confirmed the successful grafting of as-synthesized compound onto KH550-modified CB surface. The weight grafting of DRCB on DRCB-15 % dyed cotton fabric was approximately 15.18 %, with a half weight grafting time of around 17 min. TEM observation demonstrated that DRCB had a core-shell structure with the mean sizes of 36.02 ± 4.30 nm. Particle size analysis revealed that DRCB had smaller average aggregate size of 110.3 nm and higher zeta potential of −33.7 mV than CB, indicating that DRCB had much better dispersion in aqueous media than CB. Cotton fabric was effectively dyed with DRCB, providing excellent color depth of 60 (K/S value) with dry rubbing and wet rubbing/washing color fastness of Grade 4 and Grade 3, respectively. DRCB dyed cotton fabric exhibited outstanding anti-UV and anti-static properties, with no significant difference in softness and tensile property before and after dyeing. This research proposed a new method to solve nanoparticle agglomeration and prepare textile dyes with excellent self-dispersivity and reactivity.