Solvent Assisted Dyeing of Silk Fabric Using Deep Eutectic Solvent as a Swelling Agent

Solvent assisted dyeing of silk fabric was studied with the aim to increase color strength of silk fabric with the help of green, eco-friendly deep eutectic solvent (DES), which act as a swelling agent. The use of a DES in solvent assisted silk dyeing showed favorable results. Silk yarns showed better swelling properties in the DES than water. Process parameters such as temperature, time, and concentration of DES were optimized with the help of a design expert software. Lack of fit F-value and P-value of the ANOVA shows that the model is significant. Optimized solvent assisted silk dyeing was carried out with acid dye and found to be better than that of conventional dyeing in aqueous medium. DES assisted dyed silk fabric showed desired color strength at 60 degrees C for 37 min, which is 10 degrees C and 5-10 min lesser than the conventional dyeing of silk fabric. The percentage exhaustion of DES assisted dye bath was calculated and found to be good. DES assisted dyed silk fabric showed wash, light, and rubbing fastness properties comparable to conventional aqueous dyed silk fabric.