Performance Evaluation and Fastness Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid) Fibres Dyed with Commercial Disperse Dyes in Comparison to Polyester Fabric

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an aliphatic polyester considered a “green” material due to its natural-based origin and biodegradable properties. This is why PLA fibres may be compared with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibres in an effort to partially replace the latter in industrial production. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dyeability of poly(lactic acid) fibres using six (6) commercially available disperse dyes with different energy levels, molecular weights and chemical structures, namely Disperse Red 59 (Serisol Fast Pink RFL), Disperse Red 60 (Serilene Red 2BL), Disperse Red 92 (Serilene Red TBLS), Disperse Orange 31 (Serisol Br Orange RGL), Disperse Yellow 54 (Serilene Yellow 3GL) and Disperse Blue 79 (Serilene Navy Blue GRLS). The dyeing characteristics, such as dye exhaustion, colour strength (K/S value), colorimetric values, wash fastness, light fastness and sublimation fastness of dyed fibres, were examined at dyeing temperatures of 110 and 130 °C, while the presence of carrier agent was also investigated. The dye exhaustion values of PLA fibres were found to be lower than those of PET fabrics; however, K/S values were higher than those of the corresponding PET fabrics in some cases. Dyed PLA fibres illustrated good colour fastness, light fastness and sublimation fastness properties, comparable to similarly dyed PET fibres.