Development of Airlaid Non-Woven Panels for Building’s Thermal Insulation

As the need to ensure thermal comfort in buildings is constantly evolving, new technologies continue to emerge with the aim to develop efficient thermal insulation materials. This study aims to explore a textile technology using Airlaid process to develop non-woven fabrics made of natural fibers extracted from Posidonia Oceanica’s waste for assessing their suitability for insulation products in construction field. This technology offers the feature to develop isotropic non-woven structures by orienting randomly the fibers on the fabric surface. The web composed of a mixture of Posidonia Oceanica fibers and a proportion of thermoplastic fibers is then thermally bonded in an oven followed by cooling in order to ensure the solidification of the bonding areas. The prepared panels are then analyzed for the thermal conductivity. It was found that their thermal conductivity is close to commonly used thermal insulation materials, ranging between 0.03515 W/m.K and 0.03957 W/m.K, which allows the non-woven panels to compete with widely-used insulation materials for building’s field. The second part of this work aims to determinate the Posidonia panel's resistance to five common mold types in buildings (Aspergillus niger, Penicilumfuniculosum, Trichoderma viride, Chaetomium globosum, Paecilomycesvariotii). In fact, at high moisture content, molds are likely to develop on cellulosic materials affecting indoor air quality and eventually causing a variety of health risks to occupants. However, optic microscope results showed no growth of molds on the Posidonia samples which allows conceiving reliable thermal insulation materials.

Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for Study of Their Antimicrobial Effect on Plasma-Treated Textiles

Dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) are the configurations for the production of electrical discharges using a dielectric medium between the metallic electrodes. Plasma treatment produces negative radicals, which increase the adhesion of fabric for nanoparticles. The plasma treatment made the fabric surface rougher because of the etching effect. UV-vis spectra of the Plasmon resonance band observed at 253-400 nm. X-ray diffraction results showed that AgNPs has a cubical structure and the average crystalline size is 25 nm. SEM results determined that the morphology of the silver nanoparticles are flower shaped. The energy bandgap of AgNPs was observed at 2.59 eV. The silver nanoparticles were found to have enhanced antimicrobial properties and showed better zone of inhibition against isolated bacteria (Escherichia coli). DBD plasma treatment changed the chemical as well as physical properties of the cotton fabric. FTIR spectrum revealed that oxygen-containing groups, such as C-O, C=O, O-C-O, as well as O-C=O, increased on DBD treatment of cotton samples.

Highly stretchable conductive fabric using knitted cotton/lycra treated with polypyrrole/silver NPs composites post-treated with PEDOT:PSS

Flexible sensors and wearable electronics have become important in recent years. A good conductive and flexible textile is needed to develop a commercial wearable device. Conductive polymers have generally been used with limitation in reducing the surface resistance to a certain amount. In this research, a method for fabricating a stretchable highly conductive cotton/lycra knitted fabric is introduced by treating the fabric with polypyrrole (PPy), silver nanoparticles (SNPs) composites, and post-treating with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Polypyrrole and SNPs were in situ fabricated on the cotton/lycra fabric by consecutive redox reaction of silver nitrate and pyrrole and finally covered by PEDOT:PSS solution through dip-coating. The coated textile was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray mapping, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed PPy-SNPs (P-S) composites on the fabric surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results, X-ray mapping, EDAX, and XRD analysis also confirmed the P-S composites and PEDOT:PSS polymeric layer on the fabric. Morphological observation showed a layer of PEDOT:PSS on the P-S caused the higher connection of coating on textiles which resulted in the higher electrical conductivity (43 s/m). Also morphological observations showed penetration of the silver particles inside fibers which represented improving in attachment and stability of the coating on the fibers. Further, the electrical conductivity of PPy-SNPs-PEDOT:PSS coated textile increased under the tension. Hence, the stretchable and highly conductive knitted cotton/lycra fabric has potentiality to be used for fabricating the flexible sensors or wearable electronics.

Exploring the transverse wicking behavior of mechanically robust warp super-elastic woven fabric for tight-fitting garments

The ability of a fabric to wick moisture away from the human body directly determines the moisture management ability of any given textile, and thereby has a great influence on the comfort offered by garments made from that textile. In this paper, the effects of tensile extension and liquid drop height on the transverse wicking behavior of a warp stretch woven fabric were systematically investigated. By virtue of the unique structure of the nylon/spandex air-covered warp yarn, the woven fabric has a denser and tighter surface, which facilitates its warp elastic stretchability beyond 60%. Furthermore, an acceptable cyclic tensile behavior at an extension of 30% was obtained, indicating the superior mechanical robustness of the fabric to a certain extent. The experimental results demonstrated that the transverse wicking performances of the fabric, including the wetting time and liquid spreading area, were dependent on the tensile extensions and the heights between the water droplet and the fabric surface. Specifically, the wetting time increased with an increase of tensile extension or a decrease of liquid drop height. The spreading area of the water droplet increases as a function of the wicking time, and it fits a power relation appropriately. In addition, the water vapor transmission behavior of our fabric during stretch was clarified. Such work is essential to get an in-depth evaluation of the wicking behavior of complex stretchable fabric structures.

Garment-Integrated Thermoelectric Generator Arrays for Wearable Body Heat Harvesting

Wearable thermoelectric generator arrays have the potential to use waste body heat to power on-body sensors and create, for example, self-powered health monitoring systems. In this work, we demonstrate that a surface coating of a conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT-Cl), created on one face of a wool felt using a chemical vapor deposition method was able to manifest a Seebeck voltage when subjected to a temperature gradient. The wool felt devices can produce voltage outputs of up to 120 mV when measured on a human body. Herein, we present a strategy to create arrays of polymer-coated fabric thermopiles and to integrate such arrays into familiar garments that could become a part of a consumer’s daily wardrobe. Using wool felt as the substrate fabric onto which the conducting polymer coating is created allowed for a higher mass loading of the polymer on the fabric surface and shorter thermoelectric legs, as compared to our previous iteration. Six or eight of these PEDOT-Cl coated wool felt swatches were sewed onto a backing/support fabric and interconnected with silver threads to create a coupled array, which was then patched onto the collar of a commercial three-quarter zip jacket. The observed power output from a six-leg array while worn by a healthy person at room temperature (ΔT = 15 °C) was 2 µW, which is the highest value currently reported for a polymer thermoelectric device measured at room temperature.

Cotton canvas trousers washing: an inception of a new horizon in apparel industry

Nowadays, fashionable trouser (denim) with washing effect is very popular, especially among the youth. The global fashion trend has led to the development of diverse washing processes that are predominantly applied to denim fabric. However, no known research has studied the application of the washing effect on canvas fabric. Therefore, this paper aims to make fashionable canvas fabric trousers by applying various washing effects. To do so, ready-to-dye canvas fabric trouser was constructed, then dyed with dischargeable reactive dye (Lava). Chemical washing processes such as whisker, enzyme, and PP spray were then applied on dyed canvas trousers. Finally, developed samples were being characterized by mechanical tests such as tensile strength, tear strength, stiffness, abrasion, pilling, colorfastness to wash, and colorfastness to rubbing. Besides, to evaluate fabric surface, various tests such as Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM), Reflectance% values have also been characterized. Tensile strength, tear strength, stiffness, reflectance% value, and wear index% changed significantly for every subsequent process. The tensile strength of finished trousers was 489.87 N at warp and 350.57 N at weft direction and the tear strength was 48.01 N and 35.56 N at warp and weft direction, respectively. The reflectance% value of 18.74 was observed at the PP sprayed area. Overall, the research revealed the possibility of using cotton canvas as a pair of fashionable trousers contributing to the development of the apparel industry.

The Effect of Graphene Coating on Surface Roughness and Friction Properties of Polyester Fabrics

In this article, the surface roughness and friction coefficient values of graphene coated fabrics were examined. Fabrics were coated with three different graphene concentrations (5 %, 10 % and 20 %) with the knife-over-roll principle. The surface roughness of samples was measured by Accretech Surfcom 130A. Various surface roughness parameters of the coated fabrics were evaluated. Static and kinetic friction coefficients of coated fabrics were measured by Labthink Param MXD-02 friction tester using the standard wool abrasive cloth. It was observed that the coating concentration affected the frictional and roughness properties of fabrics. Experimental results showed that fabric surface roughness and friction coefficient values decreased significantly, especially at 20 % concentration. It was concluded that the coated fabrics produced could be used in applications such as anti-wear clothing.

Development of Antimicrobial Cotton Fabric Impregnating AgNPs Utilizing Contemporary Practice

Multifunctional fabrics using conventional processes have piqued increasing global interest. The focus of this experiment was to assess the modification of the cotton fabric surface by utilizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and introducing functional properties along with sustainable dyeing performance. A single-jersey knitted fabric composed of cellulose-enriched 100% natural fiber (cotton) with an areal density of 172 GSM was used in this study. The standard recipe and test methods were employed. FTIR-ATR spectra were used to determine the fixing of AgNPs onto the fiber surface. A comparative assessment was conducted in response to the distribution of color, color fastness to wash, water, perspiration, rubbing, and light. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the surface of nano-Ag-deposited specimens. In terms of functional properties, antimicrobial activity was scrutinized. Our findings reveal that the nanoparticles impart remarkable antibacterial effects to cellulose-enriched fabric against S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative). Direct dyes were used for dyeing the proposed samples, resulting in enhanced dyeing performance. Except for light fastness, the samples dipped with AgNPs showed outstanding color levelness and color durability characteristics. The developed fabrics can be applied in a wide range of functions, including protective clothing, packaging materials, and healthcare, among others.