DYEING RATE OF STRETCHED WOOL FIBER IV

THE EFFECT OF THE MODIFICATION OF CELL MEMBRANE COMPLEX

Abstract

The dyeing rate of stretched wool fibers pretreated with polar organic solvents which modify the cell membrane complex (CMC) was investigated in order to elucidate the structural effect in the individual histological components of the intact wool fibers on the dyeing rate of the stretched wool fibers.
By comparing the relationships between the relative dye uptake (C_t/C_∞) and the square root of the dyeing time (t^1/2) for the different stretched wool fibers, considerable differences were found in the initial dyeing behavior between the stretched wool fibers pretreated with the different solvents. On the other hand, there was little difference in the slope of the linear line. These changes of initial dyeing behavior by stretching were attributed not only to the changes into the rough and porous nature of the surface layer, but also to the difference in the modified structure of CMC in the cuticle layer caused by the solvent treatment. The rate of dye penetration within the bulk phase of fibers was nearly the same for all of the stretched wools. A suggestion was made that the structural modification of the cortical-cortical CMC by the solvent treatment was offset by some structural modification in the cortical cells caused by stretching.