Textile Research Journal Article Textile Research Journal Vol 0(0): 1–13 DOI: 10.1177/0040517509338308 © The Author(s), 2009. Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav Effects of Plasma Treatment of Wool on the Uptake of Sulfonated Dyes with Different Hydrophobic Properties Muryam Naebe, Peter G. Cookson, John Rippon 1 , Rex Peter Brady and Xungai Wang 2 Centre for Material and Fiber Innovation, Institute for Technology Research & Innovation, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia Narelle Brack and Grant van Riessen Centre for Materials and Surface Science, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia Previous studies [1–12] have shown that plasma treatments invariably increase the rate of uptake of dyes by wool. Some studies have revealed that little or no physical change to the surface structure of wool fibers results from treatment with plasma, whereas others have found signifi- cant damage [1, 2, 7, 12, 13]. The methods for producing plasmas vary considerably, and generally rely on the use of purpose-built equipment. Duplication of what others have Abstract A wool fabric has been subjected to an atmospheric-pressure treatment with a helium plasma for 30 seconds. X-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed removal of the covalently- bound fatty acid layer (F-layer) from the surface of the wool fibers, resulting in exposure of the under- lying, hydrophilic protein material. Dye uptake experiments were carried out at 50 °C to evaluate the effects of plasma on the rate of dye uptake by the fiber surface, as well as give an indication of the adsorption characteristics in the early stages of a typical dyeing cycle. The dyes used were typ- ical, sulfonated wool dyes with a range of hydro- phobic characteristics, as determined by their partitioning behavior between water and n-butanol. No significant effects of plasma on the rate of dye adsorption were observed with relatively hydropho- bic dyes. In contrast, the relatively hydrophilic dyes were adsorbed more rapidly (and uniformly) by the plasma-treated fabric. It was concluded that adsorption of hydrophobic dyes on plasma-treated wool was influenced by hydrophobic interactions, whereas electrostatic effects predominated for dyes of more hydrophilic character. On heating the dyebath to 90 °C in order to achieve fiber pen- etration, no significant effect of the plasma treat- ment on the extent of uptake or levelness of a relatively hydrophilic dye was observed as equilib- rium conditions were approached. Key words plasma treatment, surface modifica- tion, dyeing, adsorption 1 Present address: CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, P.O. Box 21, Belmont, Victoria 3216, Australia. 2 Corresponding author: Centre for Material and Fibre Inno- vation, Institute for Technology Research & Innovation, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia. Email: wang@deakin.edu.au Textile Research Journal OnlineFirst, published on July 15, 2009 as doi:10.1177/0040517509338308