Correlation between the shade of an azo disperse dye on poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(lactic acid) fibres with its spectroscopic properties in selected organic solvents

A series of azo disperse dyes was synthesised and the purified, synthesised dyes were characterised by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, thin-layer chromatography and melting point measurement. The spectroscopic properties of the dyes in solution were studied by dissolving the dyes in ethyl acetate and methyl benzoate. These were seen as mimicking the environment of the dye when inside dyed poly(lactic acid) and poly(ethylene terephthalate), respectively. Reflectance spectra of the dyes on both polyester substrates were also measured in order to correlate with the spectroscopic properties of the dyes in solution. The absorbance spectra of the dyes in solution exhibited a hypsochromic (lower wavelength of maximum exhaustion) shift when dissolved in ethyl acetate, compared with methyl benzoate. The occurrence of this yellow shift was attributed to the lower polarity of ethyl acetate compared with methyl benzoate. The colour of the dyes in ethyl acetate solution was also brighter and stronger (higher molar extinction coefficients) than that in methyl benzoate. Most of the synthesised dyes exhibited high levels of exhaustion onto the two polyester fabrics. However, the visual colour yields, for those dyes having approximately the same high level of exhaustion, were different, the dyed poly(lactic acid) being stronger (higher K/S value) as well as being yellower and a trace brighter than the dyed poly(ethylene terephthalate). This difference correlated well with the solvatochromic study of the dyes in ethyl acetate and methyl benzoate solution.