Reactive Dyeing of Meta-aramid Fabrics Photografted with Dimethylaminopropyl Methacrylamide

Aramid fibers have been known to difficult to dye with conventional dyes and dyeing techniques because of its extremely high crystallinity and compactness. In order to make the aramid fibers dyeable to a bright color in deep shade, meta-aramid fabrics were photografted under continuous UV irradiation with dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) and benzophenone as a monomer and a hydrogen-abstractable photoinitiator respectively. Several factors affecting the photografting treatment of the meta-aramid fabrics were investigated including monomer and photoinitiator concentrations. ATR, ESCA and SEM analysis indicated significant alterations on the chemical structure and atomic composition of the photografted fabric surface and the fabric surface was covered with the grafted polymers. While the pristine meta-aramid fabrics showed no appreciable dyeability to the alpha-bromoacrylamide type reactive dyes, the grafted aramid fabrics showed the remarkably enhanced dyeability to the reactive dyes, which was proportional to the graft yield indicating the covalent bond formation between the dyes and the secondary amino groups in the grafted DMAPMA. In case of C.I. Reactive Red 84, a K/S value of 14.8 can be obtained with the grafted meta-aramid fabrics with a graft yield of 7.6 % (w/w). Also and the color fastness properties of the dyed fabrics was excellent in the conditions of washing, rubbing and solar irradiation.