The present invention relates to a composition suitable for application to polyamide textile materials, to a polyamide textile material treated with the composition, to an ink jet printing method, and to a polyamide textile material coloured using the method.
The printing of textiles is conventionally carried out by screen or roller printing using gravure engraved cylinders. The design to be printed has to be engraved on to a cylinder and each individual colour in a design requires the application of a separate screen with a colour pre-mixed to the required shade. This is a long and slow process and it can take many months for a textile design to appear as a printed textile. Consequently, there is a demand for a printing process which enables new designs to be printed onto a textile quickly for proofing purposes and for small production runs. Ink jet printing of textiles offers the potential to transfer a design to a textile much faster than traditional textile printing methods.
The prints prepared using ink jet printing are required to meet many demanding criteria, for example the prints are preferably bright, have a high water-fastness and good light-fastness. In addition, the ink jet printing process is preferably capable of producing prints which exhibit a colour gamut comparable to that obtained using conventional printing methods.
PCT application no. GB97/03423 discloses a method of ink jet printing wherein the colour gamut achievable using ink jet printing onto, inter alia, cellulosic textiles is increased by using up to eight reactive dyes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,631 discloses a ink jet printing using inks containing a reactive dye onto a cellulosic material which has a specific fibre length and moisture regain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,478 discloses ink jet printing using inks containing a reactive dye onto a cellulosic textile material containing 0.1 to 50% by weight of a cationic substance, 0.01 to 5% by weight of an alkaline substance and 0.01 to 20% by weight of the ammonium salt of a polyvalent acid.
The above ink jet printing methods fix the dyes by means of a covalent bond formed between cellulosic textiles and reactive group(s) present in the dyes by heating the printed textile under alkaline conditions.
We have found that when reactive dyes are applied to polyamide textiles, especially silk, using ink jet printing followed by fixing the dyes by heating under alkaline conditions, the resulting prints are often dull and exhibit a poor colour gamut compared to prints obtained using conventional printing techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,485 discloses ink jet printing of acid dyes onto silk wherein the silk has a specified moisture content. However, the colour gamut available through ink jet printing of acid dyes is very limited compared to that obtained using conventional printing methods.
There is, therefore, a need for an ink jet printing method which provides prints on polyamide textiles which exhibit a brightness and colour gamut comparable to that obtained by printing such materials using conventional printing techniques.
We have found that the brightness and colour gamut of prints obtained by ink jet printing with inks containing various classes of anionic dyes onto a polyamide textile material is improved by applying a pre-treatment composition to the polyamide material.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a first composition comprising:
(a) a cationic substance;
(b) an acid generator; and
(c) an alkyl or a hydroxyalkyl substituted starch.
Preferably the composition is free from alkaline materials.
Preferably the composition comprises:
from 0.5 to 99.5, more preferably from 5 to 80 and especially from 10 to 80 parts of component (a);
from 0.1 to 60, more preferably from 0.5 to 50 and especially from 2 to 45 parts of component (b);
from 0.1 to 99.5, more preferably from 0.5 to 80 and especially from 8 to 70 parts of component (c);
wherein all parts are by weight and the sum of the parts of components (a)+(b)+(c)=100.
The cationic substance is preferably a cationic polymer or a quaternary ammonium compound.
Preferred cationic polymers are polymers which carry a quaternary ammonium group. The cationic polymer is preferably a copolymer formed by polymerising a monomer containing a quaternary ammonium salt, with one or more monomers selected from vinyl pyrrolidone, acrylamide, allylamine and ethyleneimine.
Especially preferred cationic polymers are:
(a) cationic polyethylenimines;
(b) cationic polymers as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,478, cols. 4 to 6, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto; and
(c) dicyanamide/phenolxe2x80x94formaldehyde/ammonium chloride condensate, for example the 50% aqueous solution available as MATEXIL(trademark) FC-PN from ICI Limited.
Preferred quaternary ammonium compounds are of the Formula (1): 
wherein:
R1, R2 and R3 are each independently selected from H, optionally substituted C1-20-alkyl and optionally substituted C2-20-alkenyl; R4 is optionally substituted C1-20-alkyl or optionally substituted C2-20-alkenyl; and Xxe2x88x92 is an anion.
Preferably R1 and R2 are each independently selected from C1-20-alkyl or C2-20-alkenyl, more preferably C1-4-alkyl, especially methyl.
R3 and R4 are preferably each independently C5-20-alkyl or C5-20-alkenyl, especially C16-20-alkyl or C16-20-alkenyl and more especially C18-alkyl.
When any of the groups R1, R2, R3 or R4 is alkyl or alkenyl it may be branched or, preferably, straight chain.
Preferred alkyl groups represented by R1, R2, R3 and R4 are of formula xe2x80x94(CH2)nCH3 wherein n has a value of from 0 to 19.
It is preferred that R3 and R4 are each independently of Formula xe2x80x94(CH2)nCH3 wherein n is from 9 to 19, especially 15 to 19, more especially 17.
Preferably R1 and R2 are identical. In one preferred embodiment R2, R3 and R4 are identical.
The nature of the anion represented by Xxe2x88x92 is not believed to be critical. However, preferred anions include xc2xd (SO42xe2x88x92) and halide, and especially Clxe2x88x92.
The compounds of Formula (1) preferably contain 30 or more, more preferably 30 to 50, especially 32 to 48 and more especially 36 to 40 carbon atoms.
Preferred compounds of Formula (1) include tetraoctylammonium salts, tridecyl ammonium salts, tridodecylammonium salts, tetradecylammonium salts, tridecylmethyl ammonium salts, tridodecylmethylammonium salts, distearyldiethylammonium salts, distearyldipropylammonium salts, more preferably distearyldimethylammonium salts, and especially the preceding quaternary ammonium compounds with a chloride, sulphate or bromide anion. An especially preferred compound of Formula (1) is distearyl dimethylammonium chloride.
Component (a) of the composition is preferably a quaternary ammonium compound because we have found that the presence of such a compound in the composition gives prints which exhibit a very high colour yield.
The acid generator (component (b)) is preferably an organic or inorganic acid, and more preferably an organic acid, or a salt thereof. The organic acid may be monobasic or polybasic. It is especially preferred that the acid generator is an organic polybasic acid, or a salt thereof.
Preferred organic monobasic acids comprise an aromatic or aliphatic group substituted with a group selected from xe2x80x94COOH, xe2x80x94PO3H2 and xe2x80x94SO3H, especially xe2x80x94COOH. Preferred aliphatic monobasic acids comprise an optionally substituted alkyl group which carries an acid group, preferably a xe2x80x94COOH group. The alkyl group is preferably C1-12-alkyl, and more preferably C1-6-alkyl. When the aliphatic monobasic acid is substituted the substituent(s) is/are preferably selected from xe2x80x94OH and xe2x80x94NH2. Examples of preferred aliphatic monobasic acids include acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, pentanoic acid, 2,2-dimethylpropanoic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid and glyceric acid.
Preferred aromatic monobasic acids comprise an aromatic group substituted with xe2x80x94COOH, xe2x80x94SO3H or xe2x80x94PO3H2, more preferably xe2x80x94COOH. Preferred aromatic groups are phenyl, naphthyl, pyridinyl, furanyl, thiofuranyl or benzyl each of which is optionally substituted. More preferably the aromatic group is optionally substituted phenyl or optionally substituted pyridinyl.
Preferred examples of monobasic aromatic acids include nicotinic acid, isonicotinic acid, salicylic acid, anisic acid, vanillic acid and gallic acid.
Preferred organic polybasic acids include aromatic polybasic acids and aliphatic polybasic acids.
Preferred aromatic polybasic acids are optionally substituted benzene, pyridine or naphthylene groups which carry two or more groups selected from xe2x80x94SO3H, xe2x80x94COOH and xe2x80x94PO3H2. It is especially preferred that the aromatic polybasic acid carries 2 or 3 acid groups selected from xe2x80x94SO3H and xe2x80x94COOH.
The optional substituents which may be present on the aromatic groups of aromatic monobasic acids and aromatic polybasic acids are preferably selected from halogen (especially F or Cl); xe2x80x94NO2; xe2x80x94CF3; xe2x80x94CN; a C1-6-alkyl, C2-6-alkenyl, C5-8-cycloalkyl or C1-6-alkoxy group optionally substituted by xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, xe2x80x94NO2 or halogen; a group of the formula xe2x80x94SR5, or xe2x80x94COOR5 wherein R5 is H, C1-4-alkyl, C5-8-cycloalkyl or phenyl; and groups of the formula xe2x80x94OR6, xe2x80x94COR6; xe2x80x94NR6R7, xe2x80x94SO2NR6R7, xe2x80x94SOR6, xe2x80x94SO2R6, xe2x80x94NR 6COR7, xe2x80x94CONR6R7, or xe2x80x94OCOR6, wherein R6 and R7 each independently represent H, C1-4alkyl, C5-8-cycloalkyl, phenyl or R6 and R7 together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a 5 or 6 membered ring, for example piperazine or morpholine.
Especially preferred aromatic polybasic acids include for example phthalic acid, isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid.
Preferred aliphatic polybasic acids contain up to 20 carbon atoms. The aliphatic polybasic acids preferably comprise an aliphatic group which carries 2 to 8, more preferably 2 to 6, especially 2 or 3 and more especially 2, groups selected from xe2x80x94SO3H, xe2x80x94COOH and xe2x80x94PO3H2. The aliphatic polybasic acid may be saturated or unsaturated.
Preferred acid groups in the aliphatic polybasic acids are selected from xe2x80x94COOH and xe2x80x94SO3H, and especially xe2x80x94COOH.
Preferred saturated aliphatic groups are alkanes and preferred unsaturated groups are alkenes and alkynes. The alkane, alkene and alkyne groups may be straight chain, branched chain or cyclic and are optionally interrupted by one or more groups or heteroatoms, for example xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NR8xe2x80x94, optionally substituted phenylene, piperazinylene and xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, wherein R1 is H, optionally substituted alkyl, or optionally substituted phenyl.
The alkane and alkene groups optionally contain further substituents, preferably selected from xe2x80x94SH, or xe2x80x94OR6, wherein R6 is as hereinbefore defined, more preferably xe2x80x94OH.
When the alkane, alkene or alkyne group is interrupted by an optionally substituted phenylene group, it is preferred that the optional substituents on the phenylene are selected from xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NO2, xe2x80x94NH2, C1-4-alkyl, xe2x80x94SH, xe2x80x94COOH and xe2x80x94SO3H.
Preferably R8 is H, C1-4-alkyl, C1-4-alkyl substituted by xe2x80x94OH, phenyl or phenyl substituted by xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, xe2x80x94NO2, C1-4-alkyl or C1-4-alkyl substituted by xe2x80x94OH.
Especially preferred aliphatic polybasic acids are dicarboxylic acids of the Formula (2):
HOOCxe2x80x94Wxe2x80x94COOHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
wherein:
W is an optionally substituted, optionally interrupted alkylene, alkenylene or alkynylene group.
When W is a substituted alkenylene group, it is preferably substituted by xe2x80x94OH.
Preferred groups which may interrupt W are xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94and phenylene optionally substituted by xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, xe2x80x94SH, xe2x80x94COOH or xe2x80x94SO3H.
Examples of optionally substituted alkenylene and alkynylene groups include xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94,xe2x80x94CH2CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2CHxe2x95x90CHCH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Cxe2x95x90Cxe2x80x94and xe2x80x94CH2Cxe2x95x90xe2x80x94CCH2xe2x80x94.
Preferred interrupted alkylene groups are of the formula:
xe2x80x94C2H2axe2x80x94Lxe2x80x94CbH2bxe2x80x94
wherein:
L is xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94or phenylene optionally substituted by xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, xe2x80x94SH, xe2x80x94COOH or xe2x80x94SO3H;
a is an integer from 1 to 17; and
b is an integer from 1 to 17, provided that (a+b)xe2x89xa618.
Examples of preferred groups represented by L include xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C6H4xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2C6H4CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2C(O)CH2xe2x80x94, and xe2x80x94CH2SCH2xe2x80x94.
Preferably W is an optionally substituted straight or branched chain alkylene group. When W is a substituted alkylene group it is preferably substituted by one or more xe2x80x94OH groups. Examples of such groups include xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH(OH)CH(OH)xe2x80x94and xe2x80x94CH2CH(OH)xe2x80x94.
It is especially preferred that W is a group of the formula xe2x80x94CmH2mxe2x80x94, wherein m is 1 to 18, preferably 1 to 10 and especially 1 to 8.
Preferred dicarboxylic acids of the Formula (2) when W is an alkenylene group include for example, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid and itaconic acid.
Preferred dicarboxylic acids of the Formula (2) when W is alkylene substituted by xe2x80x94OH include for example, malic acid, tartronic acid, tartaric acid and mucic acid.
Preferred dicarboxylic acids of the Formula (2) when W is group of the formula xe2x80x94CmH2mxe2x80x94, wherein m is as hereinbefore defined include, for example, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid and sebacic acid and dodecanedioc acid.
Preferred dicarboxylic acids of the Formula (2) when W is a cyclic alkylene or alkenylene group include, for example, cyclohexene dicarboxylic acid and cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid.
Further examples of aliphatic polybasic acids suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, tribasic acids, especially citric acid, and dibasic acids, for example oxalic acid.
When the acid generator is present as a salt preferred salts include sodium, lithium and ammonium salts and salts with volatile amines. It is preferred, however, that the acid generator is in free acid form. Preferably the acid generator is colourless.
Preferred acid generators are selected from nicotinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid and malonic acid, more especially citric acid and nicotinic acid.
When component (c) is an alkyl-substituted starch, the starch is preferably substituted by C1-6-alkyl, more preferably C1-4-alkyl.
When component (c) is hydroxyalkyl substituted starch the starch is preferably substituted by C2-4-hydroxyalkyl, more preferably by hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl groups.
Preferably the starch is corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch or tapioca starch, more preferably potato starch or tapioca starch. The starch is preferably substituted at the free hydroxyl groups of the D-glucopyranose rings of the starch. The degree of substitution on the starch is 0.05 to 3, more preferably 0.05 to 2 and especially 0.05 to 0.5 per D-glucopyranose ring.
An especially preferred component (c) is hydroxypropyl or hydroxyethyl substituted tapioca starch. More especially component (c) is hydroxypropyl substituted tapioca starch, for example Solvitose WB available from Avebe, Holland.
The starch may by substituted using known methods. For example it may be hydroxyethylated or hydroxypropylated by heating a slurry of granular starch in an lower aliphatic alcohol (preferably a C1-3-alchohol) with a Group I or II metal hydroxide (preferably NaOH) in the presence of a small amount of water (up to 10% by weight) and reacting the alkaline slurry with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide at a temperature of 40 to 120xc2x0 C.
The starch may be alkylated by heating an alkaline aqueous suspension of starch with an appropriate alkylchloride. The reaction is preferably performed in the presence of an alkali metal chloride such as NaCl.
It is preferred that the composition according to the first aspect of the invention is used in a liquid medium because this helps to achieve a uniform coating and good impregnation when the composition is applied to a polyamide textile material.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a composition comprising the composition according to the first aspect of the present invention and a liquid medium.
Preferably the liquid medium is an aqueous medium, more preferably water or a mixture of water and one or more water-soluble organic solvent(s).
In view of the foregoing preferences an especially preferred composition according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises:
(a) from 0.1 to 20, more preferably from 0.5 to 5 parts of a quaternary ammonium compound;
(b) from 0.05 to 40, more preferably from 0.1 to 30 parts of an organic acid (preferably an organic polybasic acid), or a salt thereof;
(c) from 0.05 to 30, more preferably 0.1 to 10 parts of an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl substituted starch; and
(d) from 30 to 95, more preferably 40 to 90 parts of an aqueous medium;
wherein all parts are by weight and the sum of the parts of component (a)+(b)+(c)+(d)=100.
Preferably the pH of the second composition is in the range of from 2 to 7, more preferably from 3 to 6 and especially from 3.5 to 5.5.
The viscosity of the second composition at 25xc2x0 C is preferably from 15 to 60, more preferably from 15 to 50, especially from 25 to 45 and more especially from 40 to 50 cP.
The first composition is preferably dispersed or dissolved in the liquid medium to give the second composition.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a polyamide textile material treated with a composition according to the first or second aspect of the present invention.
Preferably the polyamide textile material is a natural or synthetic polyamide textile material, a blend of natural and synthetic polyamide textile materials or a blend of a polyamide with one or more other synthetic textile materials which is not a polyamide textile material, for example a polyester (for example Lycra(trademark) available from Dupont). Preferred natural polyamide textile materials include for example, wool, silk, hair and hair based textiles such as cashmir. Preferred synthetic polyamide textile materials include Nylon 6, Nylon 6,6 and Nylon 11. It is especially preferred that the polyamide textile material is silk.
Preferred compositions used to treat the polyamide textile material are as defined in the first and second aspects of the present invention. It is preferred however, that the polyamide material is treated with a composition according to the second aspect of the present invention.
The polyamide textile material may be treated with the composition according to the second aspect of the invention using any convenient method, for example by dip coating, roller coating, K-bar coating, printing, ink jet printing or by padding the surface of the material with the composition. It is especially preferred that the material is treated by padding the composition onto the material.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the coloration of a polyamide textile material comprising the steps:
i) treating the polyamide textile material with a composition according to the second aspect of the present invention;
ii) applying by means of an ink jet printer an ink composition comprising a liquid medium and a water-soluble anionic dye, or a salt thereof, to the product of step i); and
iii) heating the product of step ii) at a temperature of from 50xc2x0 C to 250xc2x0 C.
The product of step i) is conveniently a treated polyamide textile material according to the second aspect of the present invention. It is especially preferred that the polyamide material is silk.
The composition applied to the material in step i) is preferably an aqueous composition as hereinbefore defined in the second aspect of the present invention.
The material in stage i) is preferably treated by padding the composition defined in the second aspect of the invention onto the material.
Preferably the product of step i) is dried before step ii) is performed. Drying may be performed using any convenient method, for example by squeezing the material between rollers or by heating the material, for example by exposure to hot air or direct heating, for example by infra-red radiation, or micro-wave radiation, preferably so that the temperature of the material does not exceed 100xc2x0 C.
Preferably the ink composition used in step ii) of the present method comprises a water-soluble anionic dye and a liquid medium.
Preferred water-soluble anionic dyes are water-soluble anionic direct, reactive and acid dyes, for example azo, bis azo, tris azo and phthalocyanine dyes which preferably contain one, or more preferably two or more, groups selected from xe2x80x94COOH, xe2x80x94SO3H and PO3H2 in the free acid or salt form.
Preferred direct dyes include for example Cl Direct Black 9, 17, 19, 22, 32, 51, 56, 62, 69, 77, 80, 91 94, 97, 108, 112, 113, 114, 117, 118, 121, 122, 125, 132, 146, 154, 166, 168, 173, 195 and 199; Cl Direct Blue 1, 10, 15, 22, 25, 55, 67 ,68, 71, 76, 77, 78, 80, 84, 86, 87, 90, 98, 106, 108, 109, 151, 156, 158, 159, 160, 168, 189, 192, 193, 194, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 207, 211, 213, 214, 218, 225, 229, 236, 237, 244, 248, 249, 251, 252, 264, 270, 280, 288, 289, 291 and 307; Cl Direct Green 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 59, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 74, 80, 85, 89; Cl Direct Yellow 8, 9, 11, 12, 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 39, 41, 44, 50, 53, 58, 59, 68, 86, 87, 93, 95, 96, 98, 100, 106, 108, 109, 110, 130, 132, 142, and 173; Cl Direct Violet 106 and 107; Cl Direct Orange 6, 15, 18, 26 29, 34, 37, 39, 40, 41, 46, 49, 51, 57, 62, 71, 105, 107 and 115; Cl Direct Red 2, 4, 9, 23, 26, 31 39, 62, 63, 72, 75, 76, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 89, 92, 95, 111, 173, 184, 207, 211, 212, 214, 218, 221, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 232, 233, 240, 241, 242, 243 and 247.
Preferred acid dyes include, Cl Acid Yellow 17, 19, 23, 25, 39, 40, 42, 44, 49, 50, 61, 64, 76, 79, 110, 127, 135, 143, 151, 159, 169, 174, 190, 195, 196, 197, 199, 218, 219, 222, 227; Cl Acid Orange 3, 19, 24, 28:1, 33, 43, 45, 47, 51, 67, 94, 116, 127, 138, 145, 156; Cl Acid Red 35, 42, 52, 57, 62, 80, 82, 111, 114, 118, 119, 127, 128, 131, 143, 151, 154, 158, 249, 257, 261, 263, 266, 299, 301, 336, 337, 361, 396, 397; Cl Acid Violet 5, 34, 43, 47, 48, 90, 103, 126; Cl Acid Blue 9, 25, 40, 41, 62, 72, 76, 78, 80, 82, 90, 106, 112, 112, 113, 120, 127:1, 129, 138, 143, 158, 175, 181, 205, 207, 220, 221, 230, 232, 247, 258, 260, 264, 271, 277, 278, 278, 279, 280, 288, 290, 326; Acid Green 16, 17, 19, 20, 25, 28, 40, 41, 71; Cl Acid Black 7, 24, 29, 48, 52:1.
Preferred reactive dyes include Cl Reactive Yellow 2, 3, 3:1, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 35, 37, 41, 42, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57, 58, 63, 64, 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 111, 115, 116, 131, 135; Cl Reactive Orange 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, 30, 34, 35, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 56, 57, 62, 63, 64, 67, 69, 71, 72, 73, 74, 78, 82, 84, 87; Cl Reactive Red 3, 3;1, 13, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 31, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 45, 49, 55, 56, 58, 63, 67, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 87, 104, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 117, 118, 119, 120, 123, 124, 126, 128, 130, 131, 132, 141, 147, 158, 159, 170, 171, 174, 176; Cl Reactive Blue 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 49, 51, 52, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 89, 98, 100, 101, 104, 105, 112, 113, 114, 116, 119, 147, 148, 158, 160, 162, 169, 170, 171, 179, 182, 187; Cl Reactive Green 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21; Cl Reactive Black 4, 5, 8, 14, 21, 23, 26, 31, 32, 34.
Further preferred anionic dyes include Projet Fast Black 2, Pro-Jet Black 1, Pro-Jet Fast Cyan 2, Pro-Jet Cyan 1, Pro-Jet Magenta 1, Pro-Jet Magenta 1T, Pro-Jet Fast Magenta 2, Pro-Jet, Projet Magenta 3B-OA, Pro-Jet Yellow 1, Pro-Jet Yellow 1 G, Pro-Jet Yellow OAM, Pro-Jet Red OAM, Pro-Jet Blue OAM (all of which are available from Zeneca Specialties or its successor) and the dyes disclosed in PCT application number GB97/03423 which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
The present method enables a wide range of water-soluble anionic dyes to be printed onto a polyamide textile material. Accordingly the water-soluble anionic dyes in the inks used in step ii) can be selected such that the colour gamut of the resulting print is maximised, whilst maintaining a high colour yield and good dye fixation of on the substrate.
A preferred set of inks for use in step ii) of the present method comprises one or more inks selected from:
(a) a black ink comprising a liquid medium and a dye selected from Cl Direct Black 195, Cl Direct Black 168 and Cl Direct Black 19;
(b) a cyan ink comprising a liquid medium and a dye selected from Cl Acid Blue 9, Cl Acid Bluel58, Cl Acid blue 90 and Direct Blue 199;
(c) a magenta ink comprising a liquid medium and a dye selected from Cl Acid Red 52, Cl Acid Red 249, Cl Direct Violet 107, Cl Direct Violet 106 and Cl Reactive Red 31;
(d) a yellow ink comprising a liquid medium and a dye selected from Cl Direct Yellow 86, Direct Yellow 132, Direct Yellow 173 Cl Reactive Yellow 85 and Cl Acid Yellow 23; and optionally
(e) one or more inks comprising a liquid medium and a dye selected from the dyes of the Formula (1) to (13) described in PCT application number GB97/03423 which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Preferably the ink contains from 0.05 to 25 parts, more preferably 0.5 to 20 and especially 2 to 15 parts by weight of the water-soluble anionic dye.
Preferred liquid media include water, a mixture of water and an organic solvent and an organic solvent free from water.
When the medium comprises a mixture of water and an organic solvent, the weight ratio of water to organic solvent is preferably from 99:1 to 1:99, more preferably from 99:1 to 50:50 and especially from 95:5 to 80:20.
It is preferred that the organic solvent present in the mixture of water and organic solvent is a water-miscible organic solvent or a mixture of such solvents. Preferred water-miscible organic solvents include C1-6alkanols, preferably methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, cyclopentanol and cyclohexanol; linear amides, preferably diriethylformamide or dimethylacetamide; ketones and ketone-alcohols, preferably acetone, methyl ether ketone, cyclohexanone and diacetone alcohol; water-miscible ethers, preferably tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; diols, preferably diols having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, for example pentane-1,5-diol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, hexylene glycol and thiodiglycol and oligo- and poly-alkyleneglycols, preferably diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol, preferably polyethylene glycol with an average molecular weight of 200, 300 or 400; triols, preferably glycerol and 1,2,6-hexanetriol; mono-C1-4-alkyl ethers of diols, preferably mono-C1-4-alkyl ethers of diols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, especially 2-methoxyethanol, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanol, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)-ethanol, 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethanol, 2-[2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)-ethoxy]-thanol and ethyleneglycol monoallylether; polyalkoxylated naphthols, preferably those described in EP 555 950 which are incorporated herein by reference thereto, more preferably polyalkoxylated 2-naphthols and especially polyethoxylated 2-naphthols; cyclic amines, preferably optionally substituted morpholine; cyclic amides, preferably 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, caprolactam and 1,3-dimethylimidazolidone; cyclic esters, preferably caprolactone; sulphoxides, preferably dimethyl sulphoxide and sulpholane. Preferably the liquid medium comprises water and 2 or more, especially from 2 to 8, water-soluble organic solvents.
Especially preferred water-soluble organic solvents are cyclic amides, especially 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-pyrrolidone and N-ethyl-pyrrolidone; diols, especially 1,5-pentane diol, ethyleneglycol, thiodiglycol, diethyleneglycol and triethyleneglycol; triols, especially glycerol; polyethylene glycols, especially polyethylene glycol 200 and polyethylene glycol 400; mono-C1-4-alkyl and C1-4-alkyl ethers of diols, more preferably mono-C1-4-alkyl ethers of diols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, especially 2-methoxy-2-ethoxy-2-ethoxyethanol; polyethoxylated 2-naphthol; and compounds of the Formula (3): 
wherein:
R9 and each R10 independently is H or optionally substituted alkyl; and
t has a value of 1 to 4.
Preferably R9 and each R10 independently is H or C1-5-alkyl optionally substituted by xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, xe2x80x94SO3H or xe2x80x94COOH, more preferably H or C1-4-alkyl optionally substituted by xe2x80x94OH. It is especially preferred that R10 is H and R9 is H or C2-4-hydroxy alkyl.
Preferred compounds of Formula (3) include, for example morpholine, 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)morpholine, 4-(3-hydroxypropyl)morpholine and 4-methylmorpholine.
Examples of further suitable ink media comprising a mixture of water and one or more organic solvents are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,189, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,113, U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,284 and EP, 4,251,50A.
When the liquid medium comprises an organic solvent substantially free from water, (i.e. less than 1% water by weight) the solvent preferably has a boiling point of from 30xc2x0 to 200xc2x0 C., more preferably of from 400 to 150xc2x0 C., especially from 50 to 125xc2x0 C. The organic solvent may be a water-immiscible solvent, a water-miscible solvent or a mixture of such solvents. Preferred water-miscible organic solvents are any of the hereinbefore described water-miscible organic solvents and mixtures thereof. Preferred water-immiscible solvents include, for example, aliphatic hydrocarbons; esters, preferably ethyl acetate; chlorinated hydrocarbons, preferably CH2Cl2; and ethers, preferably diethyl ether; and mixtures thereof.
When the liquid medium comprises a water-immiscible organic solvent, preferably a polar solvent is included because this enhances solubility of the dye in the liquid medium. Examples of polar solvents include C1-4-alcohols. In view of the foregoing preferences it is especially preferred that where the liquid medium is an organic solvent free from water it comprises a ketone (especially methyl ethyl ketone) and/or an alcohol (especially a C1-4-alkanol, more especially ethanol or propanol).
When the liquid medium is an organic solvent substantially free from water it is preferably a mixture of 2 to 5 different organic solvents. This allows a medium to be selected which gives good control over the drying characteristics and storage stability of the ink.
The ink may also contain additional components conventionally used in ink jet printing inks, for example viscosity and surface tension modifiers, corrosion inhibitors, biocides, kogation reducing additives and surfactants which may be ionic or non-ionic.
In a first preferred embodiment of the present method the inks used in stage ii) comprise:
(a) from 0.05 to 30, more preferably from 1 to 15 parts of a water-soluble anionic dye;
(b) from 0.01 to 50, more preferably from 1 to 30 and especially 2 to 10 parts of a compound of the hereinbefore defined Formula (3);
(c) from 0 to 50, more preferably from 0.5 to 25 and especially from 2 to 10 parts of 2-pyrrolidone;
(d) from 0 to 30, more preferably 0 to 20 and especially 2 to 10 parts of one or more compounds selected from glycerol, polyethylene glycol 200, polyethylene glycol 400 or a polyethoxylated 2-naphthol;
(e) from 40 to 99, more preferably from 50 to 95, and especially from 55 to 85 parts water;
wherein all parts are by weight and the sum of the parts (a)+(b)+(c)+(d)+(e)=100.
The inks according to this first preferred embodiment exhibit excellent jetting performance when incorporated into an ink jet printer. The inks are very stable, exhibit minimal crusting and provide high quality prints when used in the present method.
Preferably component (a) of the preferred inks is selected from, Cl Acid Yellow 23, Cl Direct Blue 199, Cl Acid Red 52, CI Acid Blue 158, Cl Acid Blue 9, Cl Direct Black 168 and Cl Reactive Yellow 85 all of which are commercially available from Zeneca Limited.
Preferably component (b) of the preferred inks is morpholine or 4-(2-5 hydroxyethyi)morpholine.
Preferably component (d) of the preferred inks is glycerol.
The inks according to this preferred embodiment are suitable for printing (especially by means of an ink jet printer) onto a wide range of substrates in addition to polyamide textile materials. Suitable additional substrates include cellulosic textile materials, paper, plastic (especially over head projector slides), metal and glass. Especially preferred substrates are polyamide textile materials, cellulosic textile materials (especially cotton), plain paper and treated papers which may have an acid, alkaline or neutral characteristic.
Any ink jet printer may be used in stage ii) of the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Preferred ink jet printers are drop on demand (DOD) and continuous printers. In DOD ink jet printing discrete droplets of ink are ejected from a reservoir through a small orifice in response to an electrical recording signal so that the droplets of ink are directed at a substrate. Preferred DOD ink jet printers are piezoelectric ink jetprinting and thermal ink jet printing. In thermal ink jetprinters, programmed pulses of heat are applied to the ink in the reservoir by means of a resistor adjacent to the orifice, during relative movement between the substrate and the reservoir. In piezoelectric ink jet printers the ink is ejected from the orifice through the expansion and contraction of an ink reservoir formed from a piezoelectric material.
In continuous ink jet printers a stream of ink droplets are ejected from a small orifice and electrical fields are used to either direct the droplets towards a substrate or into a gutter for recycling. When a continuous ink jet printing technique is used the ink composition preferably also contains a conducting material such as an ionised salt to enhance and stabilise the charge applied to the ink drops during ejection from the printer head. Suitable salts for this purpose are alkali metal salts of mineral acids.
The heating in step iii) of the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention, to fix the dye to the polyamide textile material, may be performed using any convenient heating method. Preferred heating methods are hot air heating, microwave heating, electron beam heating, steam heating or a combination of steam and microwave heating. Preferably heat is applied in step iii) for a period of up to 60 minutes, this fixes the dye onto the polyamide textile material. When a steam (wet) heat treatment is used, the heating is preferably performed at 100-105xc2x0 C. for from 5 to 40, more preferably from 10 to 35 minutes. If hot air heating is employed the heating is preferably performed at 140-160xc2x0 C. for from 2 to 8 minutes.
After step iii) the textile material is preferably washed using a series of hot and cold washes in water and aqueous detergent solutions. Washing removes any unfixed dye and other ingredients of the composition from the printed polyamide textile material.
A preferred washing method comprises the steps:
step (a) a cold wash in an aqueous alkaline medium, preferably at a temperature of from 5 to 30xc2x0 C.;
step (b) a hot wash in water at a temperature of from 50 to 80, more preferably 55 to 65xc2x0 C.; and optionally
step (c) a cold wash in water containing a fabric softener, preferably at a temperature of from 5 to 30xc2x0 C.
We have found that this washing method minimises staining of the white undyed portions of the cloth and results in a textile with good handling properties. Good handling properties or xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d of a material is particularly desirable in delicate fabrics such as silk.
The cold wash in stage (a) is preferably performed in water which contains sufficient alkali to neutralise the acid used in the composition according to the first aspect of the present invention. The desired alkaline conditions may be achieved by adding a suitable alkaline material to water. Preferably the alkaline material is ammonia solution.
An especially preferred stage (a) cold water wash comprises water containing from 0.4 to 0.6g/litre of a 35% aqueous ammonia solution. We have found that wash off solutions which contain less ammonia results in prints which exhibit staining of the un-dyed, portions of the fabric. However, if more ammonia is added the anionic dyes on the fabric surface are neutralised which results in undesirable loss of dye fixation and prints which exhibit a poor colour yield.
Preferably the hot wash in stage (b) contains a suitable soap and/or surfactant to aid removal of unfixed dye from the textile. Preferred soaps are anionic soaps. When a surfactant is used it may be ionic or non ionic or a mixture of ionic and non-ionic surfactants. It is especially preferred that the hot bath used in stage (c) contains from 0.5 to 3, more preferably 0.75 to 2 and especially from 0.8 to 1.5 g/litre of a non-ionic surfactant, for example Sunaptol(trademark) P-Extra, available from ICI.
A preferred fabric softener used in stage (c) of the wash-off procedure is Edunine(trademark)CSA, which is commercially available from ICI Ltd. The cold wash in stage (c) preferably contains from 0.5 to 4, more preferably from 1 to 3 g/litre of fabric softener.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a polyamide textile material coloured by means of the method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention.
The invention is further illustrated by the following Examples in which all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise stated.