Dyeing Techniques and Auxiliaries in Textile Fibers
Summary
Textile dyeing encompasses a spectrum of methods by which colourants are applied to natural and synthetic fibres, enabling a wide palette of shades and functional finishes. Core techniques include batch processes—such as exhaust, continuous and pad-batch dyeing—and emerging continuous‐flow and low‐temperature systems designed to reduce water and energy consumption. Reactive dyes form covalent bonds with cellulosic fibres, while direct, vat and sulphur dyes rely on non-covalent interactions or in situ reduction–oxidation to achieve fixation. Disperse dyes are applied to hydrophobic substrates via high‐temperature or carrier‐assisted methods. Auxiliaries play a critical role in controlling dye uptake, uniformity and fastness: alkalis and salts promote exhaustion; surfactants and dispersing agents prevent aggregation and ensure level dyeing; and crosslinkers or cationic fixing agents enhance wash and light fastness. Recent advances focus on low-salt dyeing, enzyme‐mediated cleaning of spent dye baths, ionic liquid carriers and nanostructured auxiliaries to improve resource efficiency and reduce effluent load. The interplay between dye chemistry, fibre surface characteristics and process parameters determines shade reproducibility, ecological footprint and end-use performance across apparel, home textiles and technical fabrics.
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Dyeing Techniques and Auxiliaries in Textile Fibers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in dyeing techniques and auxiliaries in textile fibers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Reactive dye: A fibre-reactive colourant that forms covalent bonds with cellulosic fibres during dyeing.
Dye exhaustion: The proportion of dye removed from solution and taken up by the fibre during the dyeing process.
Dye fixation: The chemical bonding or strong adsorption that anchors dye molecules to fibre, determining wash fastness.
Auxiliaries: Additives such as salts, alkalis, surfactants and fixing agents that optimise dye uptake, dispersion and fastness.
Hydrolysis: The reaction whereby a reactive dye’s activated group reacts with water instead of fibre, reducing fixation efficiency.
Aggregation constant: A parameter quantifying the tendency of dye molecules to form dimers or higher aggregates in solution.
References
- Study Interionic Attraction of anionic dyes by Electrolytic Conductivity Measurement. Al-Azhar Bulletin of Science (2020).
- HPLC Analysis of Monofluoro-S-Triazine Dye during the Dyeing Process. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry (2014).
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