Parallel and Divergent Natures of Pigments and Dyes

Dyeing technology did brought a biggest turnaround for textile industries. Earlier, colouring of any textile substrate or fabric was not an easy job and even the accuracy wasn’t assured. With the discovery of new dyeing methods dealing with such glitches got easier. Manufacturers of reactive dyes started walking along new dyeing ways that landed them in luxury market.

The distinct product quality depends upon the strength of dyeing. Colour-depth is the parameter that majorly defines textile product quality. The intensity of the colour-depth is hinged on to the colourant stuff. This shows how factors involved in the production are interlinked and compromising with any can affect the end-product quality.

The textile dyeing colourants that are used to elevate substrate quality and market demand are: Pigments and Dyes. Both the colourants have distinctive ways of imparting alive and kicking reactive dye colours to textiles.

Distinction between pigments and dyes:

Permeability: Dyes can be easily absorbed by the substrates whereas pigments will sit on the surface. Dyes can chemically bind themselves completely with the substrates whereas pigments can’t. This is why dyes are famous in textile industries.

Water solubility: Dyes are water absorbent whereas pigments are watertight. As dyes mixes well with water dyeing with dyestuffs is quite easily as compared to dyeing using pigments. Pigments use binders to get settled on substrate.

Lightfastness: The reason why clothes are never dried under direct sunlight is that dyes cannot withstand light; they will fade. Pigments do not fade under light although exceptions exist but in general case they are lightfast.

Lifespan: As dyes can fade in light and with time their lifespan is shorter than that of pigments. Pigments are not prone to lights so they have longer life.

Resolution: The pigments present lower resolution as compared to that of dyes. Dyes have better resolution that helps in procuring rich textile looks.

Molecular size: The size of the molecules of dyes is large whereas pigment molecules are finely grounded.

Cost: Dyes are economical that’s why they are chosen for bulk textile production. Cost of pigments has encased its usage and hence demand.

Analogy between pigments and dyes:

Colour intensity: Both pigments and dyes are colour intense and deliver the desired shade.

Chemical and structural closeness: Many organic pigments are chemically and structurally closely related to dyes but have different crystal structures.

End-usage stability: Both colourants are stable to further treatments in production and normal use.