Development of a Textile Based Protein Sensor for Monitoring the Healing Progress of a Wound

This article focuses on the design and fabrication of flexible textile-based protein sensors to be embedded in wound dressings. Chronic wounds require continuous monitoring to prevent further complications and to determine the best course of treatment in the case of infection. As proteins are essential for the progression of wound healing, they can be used as an indicator of wound status. Through measuring protein concentrations, the sensor can assess and monitor the wound condition continuously as a function of time. The protein sensor consists of electrodes that are directly screen printed using both silver and carbon composite inks on polyester nonwoven fabric which was deliberately selected as this is one of the common backing fabrics currently used in wound dressings. Three sensor designs were investigated to determine if any were suitable for protein detection. These sensors were experimentally evaluated and compared to each other by using albumin protein in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). A comprehensive set of cyclic voltammetry measurements were used to determine the optimal sensor design to provide the measurement of protein in solution. The best sensor was comprised of only silver conductive ink present to form the tracks outside the interface zone and a carbon only layer in the working and counter electrodes at the interface zone. This design prevents the formation of silver dioxide and protects the sensor from rapid decay, which allows for the recording of consecutive measurements using the same sensor. The chosen printed protein sensor was able to detect BSA at varying concentrations ranging from 30-0.3 mg/ml with a sensitivity of 0.0026µA/M.

Multilayer nonwoven lining materials made of wool and cotton for clothing and footwear

Five types of multilayer nonwovens for clothing and footwear parts were obtained by the adhesive bonding method. The thickest middle layer of the material consists of evenly laid coarse camel or sheep fibers or of reconstituted cotton fibers from flaps, the upper and lower layers consist of knitwear, and polymer adhesive is located between the layers. The layers are bonded by thermal pressing at a temperature of 150 ± 5°C for 2.0 ± 0.2 min. The microstructure and morphology of fibers, polymer adhesive, and multilayer nonwoven fabric were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and X-ray phase analysis. The chemical interaction between wool fibers and polymer adhesive, the geometric dimensions and shape of the fibers, the structure and morphology of the cross section of the layers of the material, and the change in the degree of crystallinity of the material have been established. The investigated coarse and thick fibers of camel and sheep wool are more suitable for the production of nonwoven textile material. In the process of thermal exposure, the molten polymer diffuses into the structure of the nonwoven layer and knitted fabric. The diffusion and excellent adhesion of the molten polymer to the fibers ensures the solidity and strength of the composite. The developed design provides high strength of the material as a whole and adhesive strength between layers, high heat-retaining properties, and the use of a mesh adhesive film provides sufficient air and vapor permeability.

Application of Calcium-rich Clay Mineral Under Nonwoven Fabric Mats and Sand Armor as Cap Layer for Interrupting N and P Release from River Sediments

This work investigates the applicability of thermally treated calcium-rich clay minerals (CRCMs), such as sepiolite (SPL), attapulgite (ATT), and dolomite (DLM) to hinder the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) release from river sediments. A non-woven fabric mat (NWFM) or a sand layer were also capped as armor layers, i.e., placed over CRCMs to investigate the capping impact on the N/P release. The capping efficiency was evaluated in a cylindrical reactor, consisting of CRCMs, armor layers, sediments, and sampled water. We monitored N/P concentrations, dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation reduction potential, pH, and electric conductivity in overlying water over 70 days. The DO concentrations in the uncapped and capped conditions were preserved for 30 days and 70 days (until the end of experiment duration), respectively. ATT showed higher efficiency for NH4-N and T-N than the other two materials, and the capping efficiency of NH4-N was measured as 96.4%, 93.7%, and 61.6% when capped with 2 cm sand layer, 1 cm sand layer, and NWFM layer, respectively. DLM showed a superior rejection capability of PO4-P to ATT and SPL, reported as 97.2% when capped with 2 cm sand armor. The content of weakly adsorbed-P was lower in the uncapped condition than in the capping condition. It can be concluded that ATT and DLM can be used as capping agents to deactivate N and P, respectively, to reduce water contamination from sediments of the eutrophic river.

Establishment of the three-dimensional model of the nonwoven structure with fiber scale based on the GAN algorithm

The structure of nonwovens gives special functions, and the establishment of the structure model has important reference significance for the realization of functions. In this work, the two-dimensional configuration of polyester fibers in a spunlaced nonwoven fabric was extracted, and the configurational feature points of 2500 fibers were obtained. Combined with the generative adversarial nets algorithm, the generation model of the two-dimensional configuration of fibers was proposed after learning the configuration feature of 2500 fibers. Based on the assumption that the fibers are randomly distributed in the nonwoven fabric, we established a three-dimensional model of the spunlaced nonwoven fabric on the fiber scale using ABAQUS software. In addition, the water diffusion experiment and simulation were carried out to visualize the diffusion process of a water droplet in the nonwoven fabric, verifying the accuracy of the model. This method provides a novel idea for the modeling of textile structure on the fiber scale, which can be regarded as a model basis for the subsequent simulation analysis and function research.

Graphene coated cotton nonwoven for electroconductive and UV protection applications

The functional properties and applications of graphene coated textiles depend on the magnitude of graphene add-on which in turn is influenced by the type of substrate and the dipping conditions. In the present study, optimized GO (graphene oxide) dipping conditions are identified for the preparation of cost-effective and scalable rGO (reduced graphene oxide) coated cotton nonwoven for electroconductive and UV (ultraviolet) blocking applications. To understand the influence of GO dipping variables on rGO add-on and electrical resistivity of cotton, batch adsorption studies are carried out in loose fibre form to eliminate the structural influence of yarn or fabric. Batch adsorption studies suggest that GO concentration, pH of GO solution and sodium dithionite (reductant) concentration are the most influencing dipping variables and these dipping variables are optimized for cotton nonwoven fabric using Box–Behnken response surface design to achieve minimum surface resistivity. The rGO coated cotton nonwoven fabric shows excellent UV blocking properties (UV protection factor = 89.38) at the optimized GO dipping conditions. Physical properties of cotton nonwoven fabric such as GSM, thickness, stiffness, breaking strength and elongation are analysed at different dipping cycles. After the rGO coating, bending rigidity, bending modulus and breaking elongation of the cotton nonwoven fabric decrease, whereas the breaking strength increases. rGO coated cotton fabric exhibits excellent stability towards multiple washing and rubbing. The graphene coated cotton is characterised by FT-IR, XRD, Raman, TGA, FESEM and LEICA image analyser.

Functional Microfiber Nonwoven Fabric with Copper Ion-Immobilized Polymer Brush for Detection and Adsorption of Acetone Gas

The detection and removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emerging as an important problem in modern society. In this study, we attempted to develop a new material capable of detecting or adsorbing VOCs by introducing a new functional group and immobilizing metal ions into a microfiber nonwoven fabric (MNWF) made through radiation-induced graft polymerization. The suitable metal complex was selected according to the data in “Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center (CCDC)”. 4-picolylamine (4-AMP), designated as a ligand through the metal complex data of CCDC, was introduced at an average mole conversion rate of 63%, and copper ions were immobilized at 0.51 mmol/g to the maximum. It was confirmed that degree of grafting (dg) 170% 4-AMP-Cu MNWF, where copper ions are immobilized, can adsorb up to 50% of acetone gas at about 50 ppm, 0.04 mmol/g- 4-AMP-Cu-MNWF, at room temperature and at a ratio of copper ion to adsorbed acetone of 1:10.

Liquid-mediated particle capture by nonwoven filter media for automotive engine intake air filtration

This article reports on development, characterization, and performance of liquid-treated nonwoven air filter media for automotive engine intake application. A polypropylene fiber-based needle-punched nonwoven fabric was prepared for treatment with four viscous liquids (glycerol, SAE 20W/50 engine oil, PEG 400, and deionized water) by liquid spraying technique. The filtration performance was evaluated in terms of initial and final gravimetric filtration efficiencies, fractional filtration efficiency, evolution of pressure drop, and dust holding capacity. The liquid-treated filter media registered higher gravimetric as well as fractional filtration efficiency and higher dust holding capacity as compared to the untreated ones. The initial and final gravimetric filtration efficiencies were found to be directly related to liquid add-on via a power law relationship. The liquid-treated filter media also exhibited higher fractional filtration efficiency than their untreated counterparts for all sizes of tested particles. Interestingly, the increase of fractional efficiency was more for smaller particles as compared to larger ones. This was explained quantitatively through single fiber efficiency due to adhesion. The viscosity of liquid was found to be a very crucial parameter as the dust deposition morphology was contingent to the flow of liquid onto the filter media. The stickiest liquid yielded highest filtration efficiencies, displayed slowest rise of pressure drop, and exhibited highest dust holding capacity.

Synthesis and Characterization of Antibacterial Viscose Nonwoven Fabric by the Cooperative Action of Se Nanoparticles and Amino Hyperbranched Polymer

This research provides a new method for preparing nanoparticle-coated cellulose fabrics, which has broad application prospects in the functional fiber industry. In this work amino-terminated hyperbranched poly (HBP)-capped Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) were synthesized for coating viscose nonwoven fabric (VNF) via impregnation method to produce a controllable and uniform Se NPs coating on the viscose fiber surface. The prepared Se NPs and the treated VNF were characterized by the transmission electron microscope (TEM), x-ray diraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microcopy (FE-SEM), and antibacterial measurement. The results indicate that the Se NPs were spherical shaped with an average size of 10 nm. FESEM, XRD, and XPS characterizations demonstrated that Se NPs can adsorbed and distributed uniformly on the fiber surface. Se NPs-coated VNF showed above 99.9% bacterial reduction of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli while the Se element content on VNF was about 292 mg/kg.

Investigation of sound transmission loss of natural fiber/rubber crumbs composite panels

Natural fibers and their waste are widely used all over the world, and their production has been increasing continuously. But, the rubber crumbs from used tire disposal are nonbiodegradable and present significant problems about their end-of-life given a critical environmental impact. These problems require recycling policies to provide the collection and recycling of used clothing, textile wastes, and rubber crumbs. In this work, the acoustic properties of insulator panels from the combination of textile fibers and rubber crumbs material were analyzed. Insulator panels demonstrated a good sound transmission loss (STL) characteristic, especially at high frequencies. The STL of the manufactured panels from a combination of fiber (cotton, wool, and Kapok) and rubber crumbs was investigated at the different sound frequencies. Results indicated that the fiber/rubber crumbs panel had a significant STL profile of 47 dB, 40 dB, and 35 dB, for Kapok, wool, and cotton, respectively. The addition of polylactic acid meltblown nonwoven fabric on the surface of the rubber crumbs side considerably increases the STL by 20%.