Electrokinetic and Thermodynamic Analysis of the Dyeing Process of Polyamide Fabric with Mordant Black 17.

An electrokinetic and thermodynamic analysis of the dyeing process of polyamide 6.6 (nylon 6.6) by the dye Palatine chrome black (PCB) is described in the present work. The electrokinetic study was performed by means of electrophoretic mobility measurements on bare and dyed fiber. The most significant result is the increase in electrokinetic potential, zeta, toward more negative values as the dye concentration in the dispersion medium is raised. Given the molecular structure of PCB, which contains a sulfonate group per molecule, it is feasible that such increase in |zeta| is due to the adsorption of the negatively charged, dissociated dye entities. The uptake of PCB by the fiber is experimentally determined at two temperatures: the strong increase in the amount of dye incorporated into the fiber as the initial concentration of PCB is larger, and also the fact that higher temperatures favor the dyeing process is an indication of the existence of strong interactions between both interfaces. From a different point of view, the efficient coverage of Nylon by PCB is also demonstrated by the changes experienced by the surface free energy of Nylon upon treatment with PCB. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.