High-performance inkjet printing ink: Properties and application effects of vinyl sulfone reactive dye-based inks

Benefiting its high reactivity with natural fabrics, vinyl sulfone reactive dyes have the advantage of obtaining good color fixation and high exhaustion rates under medium or low temperatures. Although these dyes were widely applied in traditional dyeing processes, little research has been conducted on vinyl sulfone dye-based inks for digital inkjet printing. Hence, we explore an efficient and environmental-friendly ink system for inkjet printing on natural fabrics. In this work, three vinyl sulfone reactive dyes including reactive orange 131 (O-131), reactive red AS (R-AS), and reactive blue 203 (B-203) were selected to simulate the stable structure of the dye molecules in aqueous solution by GAUSSIAN 09 package based on density functional theory (DFT). On this basis, the physicochemical properties of the inks were studied， and the color fastness and apparent color depth values of cotton, linen, and silk inkjet printed fabrics were tested. As a result, compared to O-131 and B-203, the monomer molecular content of R-AS dye solutions was significantly reduced and displayed a strong tendency to aggregate. The surface tensions of three inks decreased with increasing concentrations and the degree of molecular aggregation. The rheological properties of the dye solutions were correlated with concentration and molecular weight. At the same concentrations, B-203 had the largest molecular weight and the solution exhibited the largest viscosity. The printed fabrics all possessed good color quality and color fastness, and printed silk fabric displayed higher color depth than cotton and linen fabrics. This work provided a cleaner and cost-effective ink for inkjet printing on natural fabrics by exploring the properties of vinyl sulfone reactive dye-based inks.