Optimization of the application of smart thermochromic dyes in textile printing

Abstract

With the development of microcapsulation technology, smart thermochromic dyes are increasingly being used in smart packaging as indicators of product freshness and temperature, in the field of document security, etc. In the field of textile printing, intelligent thermochromic dyes are increasingly being used as indicators of product freshness and temperature. They are used to realise products with added value in the field of aesthetic and functional design, but also in the field of smart textiles, which are widely used in medicine. In this papere, the optimisation of the use of a commercially available thermochromic orange dye in textile printing on cotton fabric was carried out using spectroscopic analysis methods. The investigation of the temperature range of the colour change shows visible changes in the real range of 28 to 45 °C, which are satisfactorily reproducible at temperatures of 30, 35 and 40 °C. The applied dye shows good laundry fastness after fixation at a temperature of 140 °C. Changes in the structure of the printed microcapsulated thermochromic dye were confirmed by FTIR GG-ATR analysis. The obtained results open the possibility to use the tested dye as a temperature change detector in the tested temperature interval.