Dyeing of silk fibers with natural dye extracted from different parts of Ficus Johannis Boiss plant

The introduction of new plant or animal natural dyes with easy access, suitable color strength, low cost and color fastness is one of the important subjects of research in the field of dyeing. Environmental compatibility, beautiful and attractive color shades beside economic issues have caused the importance of using natural dyes, despite the production of various chemical dyes. In this research, the fruit and leaves of Ficus Johannis Boiss plant with different concentrations was applied as a new environment friendly plant dye for silk fiber dyeing in the presence of four different types of metal mordant. The color characteristics and reflective spectra of the dyed samples were investigated and their color strength was calculated. In addition, the variety of color shades of the fibers dyed with the fruit and leaves of this plant in the presence of different mordents, as well as their light and washing fastness were evaluated. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of the dye, the color strength and absorption of the sample increases and the brightness decreases. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations on the dyed samples proved that the fruit of this plant is able to create a pale red tint on the silk in the presence of aluminum sulfate and Zinc sulfate mordents, while with the other tested mordents, the color turned towards green. The leaves of this plant created a brilliant golden hue on the silk. The product dyed with both types of dyes showed satisfactory light and washing fastness.