The effect of biodegradable organic acids on the improvement of cotton ink-jet printing and antibacterial activity

In this study, various biodegradable organic acids with varying numbers of carboxylic acid groups were incorporated into the ink formulation both in the presence and absence of sodium hypophosphite (SHP) to investigate the colour yield and antibacterial properties. Ink-jet prints on cotton fabric, which were either pretreated (industry standard practice) or non-pretreated, were analyzed to determine if there is a significant difference in their properties. Antibacterial activities and dye fixation of printed cotton fabrics were also tested. The results indicated that at optimum pH, the non-pre-treated samples printed with ink formulations containing more carboxylic acid groups in their structure (BTCA) in the absence of SHP, demonstrated higher levels of reactive dye fixation and antibacterial properties than pre-treated samples containing no biodegradable organic acid in the ink formulation. The printed cotton fabrics with ink formulation that contained BTCA without dye were characterized by ATR-FTIR and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and their morphology was investigated through the use of SEM to determine if cross-linking had taken place.