Natural dyes derived from plants offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes for textile coloration. This study examined the extraction of natural dyes from Conocarpus erectus L. leaves and their application on wool and silk fabrics. Aqueous extraction in an alkaline medium was used to obtain dyes from raw leaves, which were then applied to pre-mordanted silk and wool fabrics by applying the ultrasonic-assisted exhaust dyeing method. The dyed fabrics were evaluated for color strength (K/S) and CIELAB color coordinates. The color fastness (washing, rubbing, and light), ultraviolet protection factor, mosquito repellency, and antibacterial activity were established using standard testing protocols. The surface morphologies of silk and wool were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Interestingly, the dyed fabrics displayed good color strength and color fastness properties. Moreover, the dyed wool samples revealed satisfactory antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) in both qualitative and quantitative assessment methods, good ultraviolet protection in terms of UPF, and good mosquito repellency against Aedes aegypti. This study for the first time presented the application of a medicinal plant (Conocarpus erectus L.) in the field of textile dyeing and finishing. Hence, the use of Conocarpus erectus L. leaf dyes offers significant results on wool and silk fabrics and contributes to sustainable functional textile production.

Military personnel are exposed to several harsh conditions and mosquitos in mountains and wild forests. Mosquito-repellent textiles can help them to cope with such conditions. The present research work established a sustainable approach for fabricating microcapsules from Eucalyptus oil, Moringa oleifera, and Arabic gum via a complex coacervation method. Moringa oleifera and Arabic gums were utilized as the outer shell of the microcapsules, whereas the core part was made of Eucalyptus oil in different concentrations. The military camouflage-printed polyester/cotton (PC) blended fabric was coated with the as-prepared microcapsules using the pad–dry–cure technique. The surface morphology of the microcapsules was examined using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the coated fabric’s mosquito-repellent property was investigated using a specified cage test according to a standard testing protocol. The water absorbency and air permeability of the treated samples were also evaluated in order to learn about the comfort properties. The cage test results revealed that the coated fabric had a good tendency to repel the mosquitoes used in the cage test. In addition, the coated fabric showed significant durability even after several rigorous washing cycles. However, the application of microcapsules to the fabric slightly affected the water absorbency and air permeability of the fabric. This study presents a novel sustainable approach for fabricating microcapsules from the mentioned precursors and their application in the field of textiles, particularly for military purposes.

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was prepared with modified Hummer’s method while reduce graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared in the presence of hydrazine hydrate and then coated on polyester cotton (PC) blend camouflage pattern print fabric using the pad-dry-cure method. The as-synthesized GO and rGO were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, X-ray diffraction (xRD), and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The surface morphology and the thermal camouflage property of the coated fabric were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared thermal imaging test, respectively. The average particle size of GO and rGO were 99.8 nm and 0.4 nm, respectively. The fabrics treated with GO and rGO apparently reduced the emitting temperature of the human body and made it similar to the surrounding environment. The increase in the concentration of coating materials (GO and rGO) resulted in the enhancement of camouflage property. Interestingly, the camouflage property of the coated fabric was very good even after several washing cycles. Based on these scientific outcomes, the coating of PC fabric with GO and rGO is a novel and successful approach in the development of thermal camouflage technical textiles which can be potentially applied on pilot-scale experiments to establish its industrial-scale feasibility.

The current study centers on eliminating salt in the dyeing process of cotton products using reactive dyes. This study identified that the usage of reactive dyes is generating a huge amount of waste products that are contaminating the environment. Hence, this study introduces salt-free reactive dyes that can be used on cotton and would not contribute to ecological contamination. The prime purpose of this study was to explore a promising approach to reduce the cost of the dying process. Therefore, this study proposed the fiber modification technique based on chitosan and 1,2 dichloroethane as a proposed method for dying cotton, which will eventually help in reducing disposal and hazardous waste generated by salt-based chemicals. When the fabric is subjected to a treatment involving polyacrylamide, it causes cellulose to exhibit the main characteristics of wool. As a result, cotton can be dyed using reactive dyes under neutral pH conditions, without the need for electrolyte and alkali. Similarly, when fabric is treated with an emulsion of 1,2 dichloroethane followed by amination with sodium hydroxide, the treatment was discovered to enhance color fixation also. The modification was investigated through in-depth analysis in this research.

This paper provides an in-depth examination of the issues hindering the adoption of digital textile printing in Pakistan. It presents background on commonly used printing techniques, and analyses industry data to identify major printing defects using quality tools such as Pareto charts and correlation analysis. The root causes of the main defects were determined through cause-effect diagrams and the 5 Whys approach. Preventive solutions are proposed in connection with fabric preparation, process controls, equipment maintenance, training, and sustainable practices. Instead of recommending broad strategies, the study focused on actionable solutions for addressing specific challenges in digital printing, including practical measures for improving operational efficiency in recycling. The analysis provides a comprehensive roadmap for Pakistan's textile industry to overcome current limitations and successfully transition to digital systems for improved productivity, innovation, profitability and global competitiveness.

The present study focuses on the dyeing of knitted polyamide (nylon 6) fabric using turmeric (Curcuma longa), a natural dye source, through an infrared (IR)-assisted dyeing technique without the use of mordants and chemical auxiliaries. In this process, a 1% (w/v) aqueous turmeric dye extract was prepared and then applied on nylon 6 fabric through an IR-assisted exhaust dyeing method under different dyeing conditions, including variations in liquor ratio, dyeing time and temperature. The dyed samples were investigated for color strength (K/S), colorimetric properties (L*, a*, b*, ΔE*), surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), antibacterial activities, antioxidant analysis and colorfastness (washing, light, and rubbing) properties according to standard testing protocols. The maximum K/S of 31.03 was observed under optimized conditions such as a liquor ratio of 1:30, a dyeing temperature of 110 °C, and a dyeing time of 60 min. The improved color strength was observed under optimized conditions such as a moderate temperature, a lower time and a high liquor ratio. SEM analysis revealed successful dyeing of nylon 6 without damaging the fiber surface morphology. The dyed samples showed good to excellent colorfastness properties, including rubbing (4–5), washing (4–5) and light fastness (5–6). The dyed fabrics also exhibited antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus (up to 87.46% reduction) and Escherichia coli (up to 79.08% reduction), and antioxidant activity of up to 75.15% in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Thus, the IR-assisted dyeing process for nylon fabric is a promising dyeing method to dye synthetic textile fabric using natural colorant without the use of dyeing auxiliaries.