THE USE OF HYDROXYPROPYLMETHYLCELLULOSE FOR PRINTING TEXTILE MATERIALS

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a study investigating the application of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) as a thickening agent in textile printing processes. The primary objective of the research was to develop and optimize the formulation of an HPMC-based printing paste to achieve improved rheological properties and printing performance. The object of the study was a cotton fabric provided by the enterprise TASHTIB TEX LLC, in accordance with the Russian standard GOST 21790 - 2005. The printing process was carried out in a single-stage mode using the reactive dye BEZEMA ROT S-3B150 RED ACTIVE (X) (Switzerland), with fixation performed in a GD Mathis (Switzerland, 2011) steaming unit. The color intensity of the printed samples was analyzed spectrophotometrically according to the HYPER CHOSHOKU-SENKA TX methodology. The test results demonstrated that the viscosity of the cellulose ether at concentrations of 1%, 1,5%, and 2% varied within the range of 19563 to 400000 mPa*s. The study also established a correlation between the sharpness of the printed pattern contours and the concentration of the cellulose ether. The samples printed with HPMC-based pastes at concentrations of 1%, 1,5%, and 2% exhibited contour sharpness values of 98,2%, 97,5%, and 97,0%, respectively. A comparative analysis of the color fastness of the printed patterns to various external factors was carried out. It was found that the samples based on cellulose ether provided a high level of color fastness, rated at 4,5 - 5,0 points on a five-point scale, which is comparable to the performance of conventionally used sodium alginate. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of employing HPMC as an effective thickening agent for textile printing applications.