PHOSPHOLIPID-BILAYERS AS VEHICLES OF ANTHRAQUINONE DISPERSE DYES IN WOOL DYEING

The use of multilamellar lipid vesicles as carriers of disperse dyes o n wool fibres has been studied. Liposomes made from egg phosphatidylch oline containing the anthraquinone dye CI Disperse Violet 1 at differe nt phospholipid/dye concentrations were used. The physical stability o f these systems was assessed by measuring the mean vesicle size distri bution of lipid vesicle suspensions after preparation and during dyein g. Kinetic aspects involving dye adsorption and bonding on untreated a nd chlorinated wool samples by means of the liposomes at different dye /lipid ratios were also investigated. This process led to the controll ed dye exhaustion on wool. directly dependent on the relationship betw een the dye and lipid components, with a clear improvement in the dye- fibre bonding forces and in the dispersing efficiency, compared with c onventional dispersing agents. The optimum dye exhaustion was reached for the dye/phospholipid concentrations 0.53 and 1.0 mmol/l respective ly. The maximum amounts of dye bonded on untreated wool fibre were obt ained for the same dye/lipid molar ratio. However, chlorinated wool sa mples showed a slight decrease in the total bonded dye as the chlorina tion level increased.