Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Materials

Dyeing For Green Textiles

Incorporating chromophores into a polymerization catalyst leads to colorful polymers with low environmental impact

by Bethany Halford
November 8, 2010 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 88, Issue 45

[+]Enlarge
Credit: Elizabeth Gaston/
U of Leeds
Yellow and purple polymers were combined to make black filaments that were used to create the black fabric in this dress.
Credit: Elizabeth Gaston/
U of Leeds
Yellow and purple polymers were combined to make black filaments that were used to create the black fabric in this dress.

By incorporating a chromophore into an aluminum polymerization catalyst, chemists can now prepare colored polymers in just one step (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.201004920). The so-called DyeCat process places the dye directly into the backbone of poly(lactic acid), or PLA, thereby circumventing current coloration techniques in which polymers must be scoured, dyed, and then treated for colorfastness. “Hence the consumption of energy, water, chemicals, and time, as well as effluent production, are all avoided,” writes the research team from the University of Leeds, in England, led by Patrick C. McGowan. The dye molecule can be incorporated in three different ways: It can be appended to the ligand framework that stabilizes the aluminum center, designed to act as the aluminum-stabilizing ligand, or used to initiate polymerization. With the latter method, the researchers prepared yellow, red, and purple PLA. Mixing the yellow and purple polymers, McGowan’s group made black PLA filaments—a color that is popular in textiles but tough to prepare because it requires high dye loading and tends to leach. The black filaments were woven into a dress that is currently on display at the Science Museum in London.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.