Disperse Dyes History of Development

Disperse dyes were first produced commercially in 1922 by BASF in Germany, initially used for dyeing cellulose acetate fibers. In 1923, the British first added selected auxiliaries to the raw dye and pulverized it, creating a dispersion of insoluble disperse dyes in aqueous solution. Since the dyes were almost insoluble in water and were applied to fibers in a suspended, dispersed state in aqueous solution, they were officially named "disperse dyes" in 1953.

After the 1950s, with the emergence of polyester fibers, disperse dyes experienced rapid development. Starting in 1970, disperse dyes became the only suitable dyes for polyester fiber dyeing and grew into the fastest-growing category among all dyes. By the fourth edition of the Colour Index in 1976, 829 disperse dye varieties had been recorded. In 2004, China's annual production of disperse dyes exceeded 330,000 tons, accounting for 55.2% of China's total dye production and nearly 70% of global disperse dye production, making China the world's largest disperse dye producer.

By chemical structure, disperse dyes are mainly divided into azo dyes and anthraquinone dyes, with additional types containing heterocyclic structures such as nitro-styrene and benzimidazole. Azo types account for approximately 64%, while anthraquinone types account for about 25%