The basic difference between dye and pigment

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In this post I will discuss you about difference between dye and pigment which is  the most important in dyeing and the students of Textile Engineering and Technology. I tried to write the main differences for you to understand easily.

1. Dyeing is done by distribution process i.e. dyes are dispersed in water then create bond with the fibres. Therefore no binder is required. On the other hand binding agent is essential for pigment.
2. Dyes are costly as they are prepared chemically, but most of the pigments are mineral origin so pigments are available at cheap rate.
3. Dye contains both Chromophore and auxochrome group where pigment contains chromophore group.
4. Pigments have been widely used as paint to color the wood, stone, metal etc. But dyes have not been used widely for this purpose.
5. Most of the dyes are soluble in water, but pigments are not soluble in water. That’s why the water solubility of dyes are approximately 70% and for pigment it is 100% insoluble..
6. The product resistance of pigment is higher than dye.
7. Dye molecules are 0.0015-0.004 micron and pigment particles are 1-2 microns in size which means dye molecules are smaller than pigment particles.
8. Dyes are used largely in dyeing and pigments are used largely in printing.
9. Dyes give a clear color of object in clear medium, but pigment give a color like paint in same medium.
10. Most of the dyes are organic compound, some are metallic compound. But pigments are inorganic compound.
11. Fastness properties of pigment is more than dye.