The dyeing and colour characteristics of alkali–treated polyester fibres dyed with disperse dyes

Alkali–treated and untreated polyester fabrics were dyed for up to 6 h at 100°C with a series of six disperse dyes of different chemical structures. The alkali–treated polyester samples adsorbed more dye and were dyed to deeper depths of shade and slightly different shades than was the untreated polyester. The greatest differences were observed for the alkali–treated polyester with the most outer surface or skin removed. Dye structure and molecular size also affected the amount of dye adsorbed on the fibres, but did not delineate the nature of differences between skin and core morphology. This study shows that significant differences exist between the molecular structure of the skin and core of melt–spun polyester fibres.