Printing of cotton fabrics using microwave irradiation

Abstract

Irradiation Microwave was used in fixation of pigment prints on cotton fabrics with a colour strength parameters comparable with the previous research obtained in case of thermo-fixation procedures. However printing pastes was introduced to the fabric via screen printing methods. The printed fabrics was subjected to irradiation microwave for different periods of time at microwave power. Results of both covered and uncovered ranges from 3.8 to 10.70 and 1.66 to 8.20.Also the effect of irradiation microwave on printed cotton fabrics with yellow pigment for 6 min, for both covered and uncovered ranges from 3.50 to 15.52 and 5.20 to 16.80, likewise fastness properties of the cotton fabrics printed with yellow pigment fixed either by optimum conditions for irradiation microwave for both washing and rubbing which ranges from 4/5 for colour change(cc) and for colour staining(cs) which is 4. In order to compare the initial result, another samples of cotton fabrics were printed with the same paste, dried and subjected to fixation procedure. The colour strength of the printed cotton fabrics fixed through irradiation microwave was found to be time and microwave power dependent. Results of this investigation clarified also that, regardless of the time of microwave, covering the pigment printed cotton fabric samples with covered and uncovered sample. Furthermore, the influence of reduction of the particle size of pigment yellow colour to the nano-scale on the colour strength and overall fastness properties of cotton fabrics printed and fixed using irradiation microwave was determined.