Enhancing coloration performance and colour fastness of nano-pigment ink-jet-printed blended fabrics through cationic and water-repellent surface modification

The coloration performance and colour fastness properties, crucial for industrial textile printing, depend on the spreading and fixation behaviour of ink-jet droplets on porous fabrics. Current nano-pigment-based ink-jet applications provide unstable results for these properties, especially for synthetic and blended fabrics. This study focuses on cellulose-based blended fabrics as substrates to modify the wetting properties of fabrics through cationic and water-repellent treatments, to improve the coloration performance and colour fastness systematically. The study conducted analytical experiments to analyse the surface element composition, ion potential and surface morphology of the fabrics. Differences in printing colour and pattern performance were attributed to the behaviour of ink droplet spreading on the fabric surface and inside the fabric, including wetting time, colourant distribution, and ring shape. The results indicate that ink droplet spreading on fabrics significantly influences printing pattern sharpness, including edge clarity and colour intensity, which can be improved through surface modification, including cationic and water repellent treatment. The use of blended fabrics treated with 1% cationic modifier and 0.05% fluorine-containing water repellent resulted in effective suppression of droplet formation and significant enhancement of colour performance and fastness. Furthermore, as the ink droplet volume decreased from 5 to 1 μL, the coffee ring effect on the fabric treated with the water repellent agent gradually diminished, leading to improved printing sharpness during the printing process.