Textile materials containing dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers and methods for producing the same

Abstract

A textile material comprises a plurality of dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprising a disperse dye that is distributed substantially evenly across the cross-sectional area of the fibers. A method for dyeing polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprises the steps of (a) providing a textile material comprising polyphenylene sulfide fiber, (b) providing a dye liquor comprising a liquid medium and a disperse dye, (c) applying the dye liquor to the textile material, (d) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to evaporate substantially all of the liquid medium from the textile material, and (e) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature of about 180° C. or more to fix the disperse dye to the polyphenylene sulfide fibers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A textile material comprising a plurality of dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers, wherein the polyphenylene sulfide fibers have a cross-sectional area, the polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprise a disperse dye that is distributed substantially evenly across the cross-sectional area of the fibers, and the disperse dye is selected from the group consisting of disperse dyes having a molar mass of about 350 g/mol or more, disperse dyes comprising a nitro group, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         2 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprise a polyphenylene sulfide polymer, and the polyphenylene sulfide polymer has a molar mass of about 20,000 g/mol or more. 
     
     
         3 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprise a polyphenylene sulfide polymer, and the percent crystallinity of the polyphenylene sulfide polymer is from 10% to about 80%. 
     
     
         4 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the disperse dye has a boiling point of 590° C. or more or a flash point 300° C. or more. 
     
     
         5 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the disperse dye is selected from the group consisting of azo dyes, diazo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, nitro dyes, quinoline dyes, dibenzofuran dyes, naphthalimide dyes, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the textile material further comprises a plurality of cellulose fibers. 
     
     
         7 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the textile material further comprises a plurality of thermoplastic synthetic fibers. 
     
     
         8 . The textile material of  claim 7 , wherein the thermoplastic synthetic fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers are consolidated to provide a yarn. 
     
     
         10 . The textile material of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers are consolidated to provide a nonwoven textile material. 
     
     
         11 . A method for dyeing polyphenylene sulfide fibers, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a textile material comprising polyphenylene sulfide fibers;   (b) providing a dye liquor comprising a liquid medium and a disperse dye selected from the group consisting of disperse dyes having a molar mass of about 350 g/mol or more, disperse dyes comprising a nitro group, and mixtures thereof;   (c) applying the dye liquor to the textile material;   (d) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to evaporate substantially all of the liquid medium from the textile material; and   (e) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature of about 180° C. or more to fix the disperse dye to the polyphenylene sulfide fibers.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the dye liquor further comprises a volatile organic acid having a boiling point of about 100° C. to about 170° C. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the dye liquor further comprises a dye carrier. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the dye liquor further comprises a wetting agent. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the dye liquor has a pH of about 4 to about 7.5. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises the step of treating the textile material from step (e) with a caustic solution to remove or neutralize unfixed disperse dye on the textile material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the caustic solution further comprises a reducing agent.