Introduction

Before going into the details of dyes and pigments let us review what dyeing is?
Dyeing: Process of adding colorant molecules to the textile and then permanently
holding them inside the fabric is called Dyeing.
The term colorant is widely applied to both the dyes and pigments. Suitable distinction
between both will discussed separately.

Dyes
The term dye applies to a coloring organic compound which imparts colour to the
textile material. Colorants are usually applied from some fluid medium for example most
dyes use water as the application fluid. It is ultimately the solubility of the colorant in the
medium that is used to distinguish between dyes and pigments.
From application point of view dyes are the materials which when applied from a
suitable medium will transfer from that medium onto a textile substrate and impart
coloration which has some degree of permanence.
Two things are important here that how that permanence is achieved to a certain extent
and how the color is produced?
Dye molecules have elements which bond with polymer molecules of the substrate.
They do so by some kind of attractive force such as van der waals force, hydrogen
bond and even ionic bond depending upon the chemical elements the dye holds in its
structure.
There have been a number of attempts to explain the links between color and the
chemical nature of colorants. In 1876 Witt explained that color comes from the
presence of certain unsaturated chemical groups (>C=O, -N=O or -N=N-). These
coloring groups are named as chromophores. It is these chromophores that determine
the color of the dye and provided their classification.
In addition to chromophores there are also basic or weakly acidic groups that increase
the color of the dye. They are termed as Auxochromes.
Important dye classes according to chromophores they contain are Azo, Stilbene,
Anthranquinone, Thiazole, Indigoid etc.

Some essential characteristics that a dye should possess are;

Color: Dye molecules must have the desired color.
Solubility: They have the ability to dissolve in water.
Substantivity: Dyes should have an affinity/attraction to the fiber in question.
Durable: The dye should provide some durability to a limited number of washes.

Pigments
The pigments are insoluble colouring compounds and these are opaque. They can be
applied with a suitable adhesive such as binder and can applied to all kinds of textile
fibers.
Pigment can be used in dyeing as well as in printing.
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the
result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from
fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material
emits light.
Many materials selectively absorb certain wavelengths of light. Materials that humans
have chosen and developed for use as pigments usually have special properties that
make them ideal for coloring other materials. A pigment must have a high tinting
strength relative to the materials it colors. It must be stable in solid form at ambient
temperatures.
For industrial applications, as well as in the arts, permanence and stability are desirable
properties. Pigments that are not permanent are called fugitive. Fugitive pigments fade
over time.
Difference Between Dyes and Pigments
All colourants are often grouped according to whether they are pigments or dyes. It is
the solubility of the colourant that is used to distinguish between dyes and pigments.
The simplest definition of pigment is based on its insolubility in the application medium
i.e all pigment are insoluble in the medium from which they are applied. Dyes on the
other hand are generally soluble in the application medium.
While solubility is the most widely recognized distinction between dyes and pigments,
however there is some overlap of the categories. Other factors used to determine the

difference is the chemical nature: traditionally pigments were inorganic and dyes
organic but this has changed as the chemical has produced more organic pigments.
An important difference between dyes and pigments: Pigments are used in physical
form in which they are made whereas dyes are dissolved in a dye bath and then diffuse
onto the textile to produce coloration. Another difference is that dyes have an affinity for
the substrate material, whereas pigments do not and therefore require a binder to fix
them to the substrate. These differences are important when considering the application
properties and use of dyes and pigments.
The major differences between dyes and pigments are:
Dyes

Pigments

Solubility

Soluble in many liquids

Insoluble in water and most of

the solvents

Number

Available in large number

Comparatively lesser in number

Lightfastness

Lower dyes are very much Traditionally pigments have

vulnerable.
Lights
destroy been found to be more lightfast
colored objects by breaking than dyes
open electronic bonding within
the molecule

Product
resistance

Lower as compared to pigments Very high

Size

Dye
molecules
are
comparatively smaller; its like
comparing a football (pigment)
to say a head of a pin (dye)

Pigment particles are about 1-2

microns in size. It means that
the particles can be seen under
a magnifying glass

Bonding

Dye
molecules
have
electrostatic charges that serve
as a method for attaching the
dye to the concrete

Pigment requires the help if a

binder for gluing. As it is an
inert substance which si merely
suspended in a carrier/binder

Imparting
colors

Dyes can impart color by Pigments impart colors by

selective absorption of the dyes either scattering of light or by
selective absorption

Combustible
Properties

Combustible

Non-combustible

Chemical
Composition

Organic compounds

Normally inorganic compounds,

often involving heavy toxic
metals

Longevity

Do not last as long as pigments

Last longer than dyes

Application Method
Dyes
As discussed previously dyes are applied from an aqueous medium.
To successfully exhaust the dye from water to the fabric, the dye bath is supplied with chemicals
and auxiliaries to help exhaust the dye to the fabric. Considerable amount of repulsion between
dye and water is needed in many cases to enable the dye to migrate towards the fabric. NaCl
for example is added in direct dyeing to reduce the long range repulsion between direct dyes
(anionic) and cotton which becomes negatively charged in water.
Furthermore the dye molecules need the space to diffuse into the fiber polymer structure
containing both crystalline and amorphous structures. For this purpose heat is applied to raise
the temperature which opens up the fiber structure to accommodate the dye molecules inside.
Different dyes need different pH conditions to diffuse the dye molecules inside the fabric. For
example, in application of reactive dyes an alkali is added to shift the pH mainly to improve the
exhaustion and fixation of dye, while as acid dyes are mostly applied at acidic pH. Direct dyes
on the other hand are applied at neutral pH.
Different dyeing processes are used to dye the textile material i.e Exhaust and Continuous.
Which method is applied depends upon the type, form, amount of material and condition of
dyeing. For example in dyeing fiber and yarn exhaust method will be employed while as in
dyeing fabric both the exhaust and continuous processes can be used. Generally when fabric
length is extremely large we use continuous method.

Pigments
Application of pigments is a simple process and the padding bath consists of a binder
and a thickener in addition to the pigment dispersion. Certain auxiliaries may also be
added to further improve the fastness properties of the pigments and to facilitate their
application. The constituents of the bath are briefly discussed below.
Binders:
The binders are high molecular weight film-forming substances that are
marketed as aqueous dispersions or as liquids in solvents. On heating water of solvent
is removed and the binder particles fuse together to form a flexible film that envelops
the pigment particles and adheres to the fibers. Chemically binders are derivatives of
acrylic acid particularly their esters as well as butadiene and vinyl acetate
Thickeners:

The thickeners are required for a uniform spreading of colour on fabric but
the natural thickener are not suitable because these need to be washed off and so
interfere with formation of a continuous film. Initially an emulsion of white oil in water
was used but this has now been replaced by the synthetic thickeners in spite of the
batter yields and brighter colours obtained by the former. This is due to association of
the white oil with fire hazards, air pollution and foul smell. The synthetic thickeners are
basically acrylic acids that are neutralized with ammonia before use. These have a high
thickening power, needing a concentration of only 0.5% and so have virtually no effect
on handle of the finished fabric.

Pigment Dyeing
Pigment Dyeing can be done by Exhaust and Continuous method, latter being the most
common.
The pigment colors do not have any affinity with fibers and so are unable to form any
dye fiber chemical bonds. This process is only used in the wash out or the faded look
process and is generally meant for garment dyeing.
The padding method of application is very simple and consists of padding fabric with
suitably diluted pigment dispersion and binder and drying in a hot flue machine.
Fastness properties of the pigments depend to the large extent on the nature of fabric
and its preparation. For proper coloration the fabric should be free of any residual size
and oxidizing agent besides being uniformly absorbent.
The normal pigment dying is not fast to dry cleaning but with use of special binders,
resistance to organic solvent and improvement in the wet fastness can be achieved.

Pigment Printing
There are several methods for printing of textile. Most important are roller printing, flat
printing, transfer printing, digital printing etc.
In roller printing the design is put onto fabric by copper engraved roller. Most machines
accommodate roller with a maximum 16 inches circumference, which means that the
size of the print repeat cannot be larger than 16 inches. It is high speed process
capable of producing over 8000 yards of printed fabric per hour.
Digital printing consists of printing the design on the fabric directly from the computer
with no other additional step which means that after finish creating the designs once has
them in repeat, the print on fabric just like the print on paper. Some ink type may require
a post treatment such as steaming or heat setting the print.