NEW SYNTHETIC THICKENERS FOR PRINTING COTTON WITH REACTIVE DYES

Four water soluble resins, viz. polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyacrylic ac id/polyethylene glycol-1000 (PAA/PEG-1000), polyacrylic acid/polyethyl ene glycol-6000 (PAA/PEG-600), and polyacrylic acid/polymethacrylic ac id (PAA/PMA), were utilized as pastes for printing cotton fabric with reactive dyes. The prints were evaluated for their depth of shade as w ell as other properties. The properties of the prints were found to de pend not only on the nature of the thickener and of the reactive dye, but also on the concentration of the basic catalyst and urea in the pr inting paste, storing time and the conditions of fixation. In comparis on with sodium alginate, and for a given set of printing conditions, t he results indicate that the depth of the print, as well as other prop erties, follow the order: (PAA/PMA) > (PAA/PEG - 1000) > sodium algina te > PAA/PEG-60000 > PAA