One‐step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabric, combining pretreatment and dyeing using alkali‐stable disperse dyes

In the conventional dyeing process, polyester and its blended fabrics are usually dyed in a weak acidic medium. In order to reduce cost and improve production efficiency, a new dyeing method – one-step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics, combining pretreatment and dyeing in alkali conditions – was investigated. The alkali-stable disperse dyes Red 900, Red 902, Yellow BROB and Blue 825 were used to dye polyethylene terephthalate fabrics. The dyeing properties of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics in the case of one-step dyeing at various pH values or sodium hydroxide concentrations were discussed in terms of colour yield, colour parameters and fastness. The performance of one-step dyeing using alkali-stable disperse dyes was excellent. The dyed fabric had good fastness. Wet processing could be combined and shortened. One-step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics could reduce the consumption of water and energy and improve production efficiency. One-step dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate has potential application in cleaner textile production.