Interactions between polysaccharide polymer thickener and bifunctional bireactive dye in the presence of nonionic surfactants. Part 2. Investigation of interactions using SEC method

Size exclusion chromatography used together with RI- and UV/VIS-detectors has proved to be a successful alternative method for identifying reaction products and complex formations between the bifunctional bivinylsulphonyl reactive dye, polysaccharide guar gum thickener and nonionic surfactant in a printing paste. It is shown that nonionic surfactants prevent undesired chemical interactions between the reactive dye and the guar gum thickener due to physical interactions (H-bonds, van der Waals forces) and chemical ether bonds between the surfactant and the guar gum thickener and in a smaller quantities between the surfactant and the reactive dye. The efficacy of surfactants decreases in direct proportion with the diminishing hydrophilic part (C18EO20>C18EO10>C18EO4) and with the growing length of the hydrophobic part (C16EO10>C18EO10) of the molecule. The efficacy of the surfactant also increases with the increasing concentration of the surfactant and with the increasing carboxymethylation degree of the polymer. The interactions between the reactive dye and guar gum are the least in case of the system containing C18EO10 surfactant and CMG=1.1 thickener.