Influence of Neem oil pretreatment on the dyeing and antimicrobial properties of wool and silk fibers with some natural dyes

Wool and silk fibers pretreated with neem oil and dyed with chlorophyll, saffron red and yellow natural dyes using economic methods such as microwave heating and ultrasonic energy. The effect of neem oil concentrations on color strength (K/S) was measured. The results indicated that, wool and silk fibers pretreated with neem oil recorded higher color strength values than the untreated fibers. Fastness properties and the color yield of the dyes under investigation on wool and silk fibers were evaluated. The results indicated that, color fastness to rubbing, washing and perspiration of all dyes are excellent to good and are approximately the same in microwave and ultrasonic method. The antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi were tested, and the results indicated that the samples pretreated exhibited higher inhibition percent than the untreated fibers. The morphologies structure of the untreated and treated wool fibers were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The untreated samples have a rough surface. The pretreated samples of wool fibers were swelling compared to the untreated fibers .The diameter of the fibers increased and have smooth and even surfaces. The changes in the surface morphology due to the effect of active ingredients of treatment with neem oil. This behavior as swelling and increase in diameter of the fibers leads to high penetration of the dyes in the fibers.