Treatment of oxidized cellulose fabric with chitosan and its surface activity towards anionic reactive dyes

The surface modification of cellulose fabric with chitosan was achieved through an oxidation of the fabric with KIO₄ followed by reductive ammination with chitosan. The chitosan content in the fabric determined by Kjeldahl nitrogen analysis technique was 1.69%. The scanning electron micrograph revealed submicron particles of chitosan attached on the fabric surface. Dyeing of the modified fabrics with mono-chloro-triazine and vinyl sulfone anionic reactive dyes, showed vastly improved exhaustion and color yield (K/S) indicating that this method of surface modification is effective for changing surface activity of the fabric. The enhancement of the dye uptake brought about an improved dyeing process in which the dye and salt used could be reduced by half and 14%, respectively. A Significant drop in burst strength upon the oxidation but no discernable adverse color fastness property was observed for the chitosan-modified fabric.