Wen J., Sun Y.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US
Keywords: dyeing, magnetic, nanoparticle, sustainability
Current dyeing techniques face growing environmental and economic challenges due to high consumption of water, salts, auxiliaries and energy, and production of substantial amounts of industrial polluting waste waters. This project demonstrated that colorants can be impregnated into magnetic nanoparticles to form a skin-core structure, and the resulting colored magnetic nanoparticles can be used as dyes to dye conventional textile fabrics. The colored magnetic nanoparticles can be easily dispersed in water and their movement can be controlled with a magnet. The resulting suspension was used to dye textile fabrics in the absence of salts and auxiliaries. The colored magnetic nanoparticles showed high affinity toward the fabrics, which could be due to the large surface area and high surface energy of the nanoparticles. The un-bounded dyes can be readily collected from the wastewater with a magnet, significantly simplifying the wastewater treatment process, pointing to a more environmentally friendly approach in textile dyeing.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Materials for Energy, Efficiency and Sustainability: TechConnect Briefs 2018
Published: May 13, 2018
Pages: 245 - 248
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Energy & Sustainability
Topic: Sustainable Materials
ISBN: 978-0-9975117-9-6