Simultaneous dyeing and antimicrobial finishing of cotton fabrics with antimicrobial cationic reactive dye

The antimicrobial cationic reactive dye was employed in dyeing cotton fabrics. The effect of electrolyte concentration, exhaustion and fixation temperature, and dyeing time were investigated. It was found that the functional reactive dye could be effectively introduced to cotton fibers without the addition of electrolytes to achieve simultaneous coloration and functional finishing effects. Cationic reactive dye exhibited higher exhaustion and fixation values under free salt dyeing condition. All the treated cotton fabrics exhibited antimicrobial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Advantageously, it was found that this cationic reactive dye showed promising durability fastness to washing.