A Study on Discharge Printing of Natural Indigo-Dyed Knit Fabrics
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Abstract
This research aimed to study the discharge printing process on natural indigo-dyed cotton knitted fabric using potassium permanganate combined with a kaolin printing paste as the discharging agent, and it investigated the key factors affecting discharge efficiency and print quality, including the ratio of discharging agent to printing paste, the drying temperature and time, and the concentration and soaking time of the sodium metabisulfite washing solution, after which the color fastness and physical strength of the printed fabric were evaluated. The results showed that a discharging-agent-to-paste ratio of 30:70 to 50:50 gave high brightness and low color strength, but excessive proportions of the discharging agent caused residual manganese dioxide stains and a marked decrease in whiteness. A drying condition of 100°C for 10 minutes yielded the highest whiteness index, since it balanced discharge efficiency against thermal yellowing of the cellulose fibers, while a washing-solution concentration of 50 g/L combined with a soaking time of 5–10 minutes removed manganese dioxide residues most effectively and produced the highest whiteness. In addition, the printed fabric exhibited good-to-excellent color fastness to washing and water, but only moderate fastness to light and lower wet than dry rubbing fastness, and the discharge-printed area also showed about a 35.6% reduction in bursting strength compared with the indigo-dyed ground fabric, owing to oxidative degradation of the cellulose structure occurring alongside dye destruction. These findings therefore provide essential guidance for developing a discharge printing process suitable for natural indigo-dyed knitted fabrics that yields quality patterns for further commercial application.
Key word: Indigo dyeing, Discharge printing, Natural indigo, Potassium permanganate, Knitted fabric
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