Film-Formation and Binder-Free Pigment Printing of Fluorosilicone-Modified Polyacrylate/Pigment Hybrid Latex: Effect of Cross-Linking Degree

Binder-free pigment dyeing/printing of textiles is a type of environmentally friendly and clean production technology that utilizes polymer/pigment hybrid latex. Although it has widespread use, the manner in which the nature of the hybrid latex influences the film formation and how systems can be designed to improve softness and air-permeability is still unclear. In this study, we synthesized a series of fluorosilicone-modified polyacrylate/pigment hybrid latexes to explore how cross-linking degree affects film-formation behavior and binder-free pigment printing performance on fabric, where the cross-linking structure is controlled by a silane coupling agent. Our results show that the cross-linking degree of the fluorosilicone-modified polyacrylate chain plays a vital role in chain diffusion, latex particle packing, and deformation. Further, it controls “skin” formation during the process of hybrid latex drying. The dried hybrid films not only have homogeneity and good barrier performance but also exhibit a soft state (low Tg, – 28.3 °C) owing to the silicone chain segment and bound water with a plasticizing effect. Interestingly, our results show that the cross-linking degree of hybrid latex particles changes as a function of the morphology of the printed polyester (PET) fiber. Further, as a result of the improvement of the softness and air-permeability of the binder-free printed PET fabric, the surface of single yarns is uniformly wrapped by hybrid films with a high cross-linking degree. These insights allow for effective development of textile pigment printing technology controlled by the film-formation behavior of hybrid latex.