Enhancing the UV-protection and Antibacterial ...

There is an increasing interest in adding value to polyamide-6 fabrics via upgrading their functional properties. In the present study, selected natural dyes namely madder and safflower yellow dyes as well as an eco-friendly mordants namely alum, Zn-sulfate and tannic acid have been used to identify the proper dyeing conditions for attaining high quality natural dyeings along with imparting multifunctional properties, i.e. UV-protection and anti-bacterial properties, to the dyed polyamide- 6 fabric. The results demonstrate that the improvement in dyeing properties, i.e. color yield as well as fastness properties, along with the enhancement in the imparted functional properties are governed by the type and concentration of natural dye, kind of mordant, dyeing sequence and conditions. The dyes/ mordants examined exhibited high fastness properties and offered better UV-protection function and antimicrobial activity against G-ve bacteria (E-coli) and G+ve bacteria (S. aureus).