An Evaluation of UV Protection Property of Silk Fabric Dyed with Mangrove Bark (Rhizophora apiculata Blume) Extract

摘要

Natural dye extracted from the mangrove bark was applied to a silk fabric by an exhaustion dyeing process. The dyeing was conducted with and without metallic salt mordants using pre-mordanting. It was observed that with an increase in the dye concentration, the ultraviolet (UV) protection factor (UPF) values ranged between good and excellent for the silk fabric. In addition, a darker color, such as that provided by a CuSO_4 mordant, gave better protection because of higher UV absorption. The results confirmed that natural dyes from mangrove bark extract with metal mordants have potential applications in fabric dyeing and in producing UV-protective silk fabrics.