Use of quaternary ammonium salt as a dye fixing agent and antimicrobial agent in sustainable, single-step single-bath dyeing and finishing

Abstract

In this investigation, a novel sustainable approach was employed to combine the dyeing and antimicrobial finishing steps for nylon fabric in a decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) non-aqueous media dyeing system. Nylon fabric was dyed with acid dye and quaternary ammonium salt (QAS). Dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammonium chloride was employed in the dyebath as a fixing agent. The dyeing efficiency was assessed by measuring the color characteristics and colorfastness of the dyed fabric. The success of antibacterial treatment was analyzed by observing the reduction in bacteria colony forming units. These results showed that uniformly dyed samples with higher color strength than the aqueous bath and excellent colorfastness were obtained in the D5 non-aqueous media dyeing system. After five Launder-Ometer washing cycles, the treated samples still showed good antibacterial activity. These results showed that the acid dyeing and QAS finishing processes of nylon fabric can be carried out in a D5 solvent bath at the same time.