An investigation of color fading of sulfur-dyed cotton fabric by plasma treatment

Popularity of clothing with different kinds of faded color effects has been growing in recent years, leading to development of several technologies and techniques for imparting the vintage and old-fashion look. However, most color fading technologies and processes involve use of significant quantities of chemicals and water, raising concerns about environmental pollution, and other related problems. It is quite difficult to control the color fading effect on textile products. Plasma treatment has been used for color fading of cotton apparel quite successfully in the last few years. Air is used as the color fading agent and therefore no chemical effluents are generated. This study examines color fading of sulfur dyed cotton fabrics with plasma treatment. Cotton fabrics (yellow color) dyed with sulfur dyes were plasma treated under varying conditions and the resultant color fading effect was evaluated instrumentally. The color fading effect was found to be quite controllable if the treatment parameters were properly selected. Besides, evenness of the end product was excellent.