Organic Nanocolorants: Self-Fixed, Optothermal Resistive, Silica-Supported Dyes for Sustainable Dyeing of Leather

The emerging field of nanotechnology aims at revolutionizing the industrial world via introducing nanobased material for coloring. In particular, silica-based colorant nanoparticles for coloring were developed, which show extraordinary performance in the coloring world with a self-fixing property. In this regard, the use of a nano-based prefunctionalized colorant, which possesses a perfect framed structure, is unexplored in the coloring world especially in leather coloring along with stabilization. Herein, we report the inclusion of an organic cationic colorant into silica matrices by a simple emulsion technique in an aqueous condition. Unique photophysical properties displayed by the colorant enable the development of a newer coloring method and excellent resistance to high optical and thermal conditions. In addition, the newer system does not require any pretreatment like acidification for fixing the colorant with a minimum amount of water usage. It penetrates and fixes into the matrix without any need of coloring auxiliaries, thereby cutting in half the environmental pollution load. Excellent stability from the new method of the silica-functionalized coloring system will not only reduce the environmental burden but also make the coloring process sustainable. It also highlights some noteworthy recent avenues in using nanometersized materials as coloring agents for processing fibrous matrices and also in coloring cellulose in textiles, keratin in hair dyeing, and emulsion in the paint industry. Finally, the developed nanoparticles containing silica-based colorant with superior coloring properties forms an important area of research with significant prospects for coloring applications.