Effect of protein derivatives on the hydrolytic stability of polylactic acid fibres during simulated dyeing

摘要

Greige PLA knitted fabric was scoured with sodium carbonate in the presence of non-ionic detergent followed by bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. The scoured and bleached fabrics were processed in a laboratory IR dyeing machine over a range of temperatures, pH and time intervals. The levels for temperature, time and pH were so selected as to simulate the industrial scale disperse and reactive dyeing systems. The processed fabric was tested for weight loss and tensile strength to assess the degradation of PLA during simulated dyeing processes. Various commercially available protein derivatives were also added to the simulated dyeing bath to investigate their effect in retarding the degradation of fibres. SEM was employed to investigate the surface morphology of fibres.