A study for self-dispersing pigment-based inks printing on various fabrics

Although dye-based colorants are commonly used for printing textile fabrics today, many industrial applications prefer pigment-based inks for their excellent light fastness, chemical resistance, and weathering ability. However, conventional pigment-based inks need dispersing agents that stabilize pigment particles and binders to glue the pigment on substrates. Binder makes textiles thicker and more rigid, and dispersants that stabilize pigment particles may be unstable under certain conditions. Herein, a dye-like pigment-based ink was proposed and prepared by chemical grafting reaction and formulation. The modified pigments have self-dispersing capability, and their inks do not have any dispersing agents or binders when printing on the textile substrates. The modified pigments perform more like dye colorants in the ink formulation but offer pigment quality, precisely excellent weathering properties, chemical resistance, and no color bleeding problem. The particle distribution range for the pigments is 100–200 nm, and the zeta potential is around − 40 mV. The ink was evaluated and compared against dye-based inks printed on cotton, wool, and polyester fabrics.