1. Introduction
Cultivated silk, obtained from the domesticated silkworm,
Bombyx mori, is arguably the most prized of all textile fibres. The
fibre’s characteristic soft handle and excellent drape are attributable
to its triangular cross-section, smooth surface and fineness,
characteristics that also are responsible for the fibre’s unique lustre.
However, because of these unique physical characteristics, the
dyeing behaviour of silk fibre resembles that of microfibre synthetic
fibres [1], as large amounts of dye are required to achieve
moderate/deep shades and such dyeings display typically low
fastness to wet treatments. Considerable efforts have been
extended over many decades to optimise/improve the dyeing of silk
[2] and much attention has focussed on the use of reactive dyes as
a means of obtaining dyeings of high wet fastness. However, as no
exclusive reactive dye range has been developed for silk, the
various publications pertaining to the dyeing and printing of silk
with reactive dyes therefore relate to the use of reactive dyes
intended for other fibres. In this context, whilst the commercial
introduction of reactive dyes for cellulosic fibres in the mid 1950’s
spawned a bewildering array of commercial dye ranges for such
fibres, in comparison, very few commercial reactive dye ranges