Simultaneous Dyeing and Antibacterial Finishing of Nylon 6 Fabric Using Reactive Cationic Dyes

A new bifunctional reactive cationic dye containing bis (monochlorotriazine/quaternary ammonium) reactive cationic system was synthesized. This dye and its monofunctional analogue were studied for simultaneous dyeing and antibacterial finishing of nylon fabric using exhaust method. Relatively high exhaustion and total dye fixation were achieved at pH 5 and 100°C for both dyes. The bifunctional dye exhibited higher levels of exhaustion and fixation efficiency compared to the monofunctional dye. Antibacterial activities of the dyed samples at different concentrations of both dyes were studied against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The dyed samples for both dyes are durable to washing and exhibited antibacterial activity after 10 times wash. The presence of the additional quaternary ammonium group in the bifunctional reactive cationic dye promotes a higher antibacterial activity on nylon 6 fabric compared to the nylon fabric dyed with the monofuncional dye. The dyeings exhibited good to high fastness properties.