Influence of Different Guar Thickeners on Interactions with Monoreactive Dyes and Cellulose Fibers

Abstract

The suitability of carboxymethyl guar derivatives as thickeners in reactive printing of viscose fabrics is investigated. We show the influence of different guar thickeners on the stiffness of viscose fabric printed with monoreactive vinylsulphone dyes. The conse quences of interactions that are proportional to the bending rigidity of prints are confirmed with the quantity of residual add-on and with IR spectroscopy. The interactions depend on the macromolecular structure of the guar thickener, its degree of polydispersity, and the number of free reactive OH groups able to react with guar molecules. We conclude that higher bending rigidity is the result of physicochemical binding of guar molecules on the viscose fibers by means of hydrogen and/or ether bonds by free OH groups. Hydroxyl groups of monoreactive dyes also increase bending rigidity as a result of chemical interaction with the OH groups of guar and viscose.