Polyester Blends Research Articles

Thermoplastic Blends Based on Poly(Butylene Succinate-co-Adipate) and Different Collagen Hydrolysates from Tanning Industry: I\u2014Processing and Thermo-mechanical Properties

In this study, blends of a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, poly (butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) with two different raw hydrolyzed collagens (HCs), derived from the tannery industry, were investigated in terms of processability, rheological, thermal and mechanical properties. HCs, obtained by alkaline (HCa) and enzymatic (HCe) hydrolysis of the solid wastes generated during the shaving of the tanned leather, were used in PBSA/HC blends, up to 20 wt% of HC, produced by melting extrusion and processed by injection molding. All the blends up to 20 wt% HCs resulted suitable for the injection molding obtaining flexible molded specimens with good tensile properties. The different secondary structure of the two HCs influenced the rheology, morphology and mechanical properties of the produced blends. In particular, HCa, due its higher content of oligopeptides and free amino-acids, showed a good compatibility with the polymeric matrix acting as a plasticizer with consequent reduction of melt viscosity with increasing its loading. The molded dog-bones specimens containing 20 wt% HCa showed a value of elongation at break of 810%. While, HCe, due its higher presence of b-sheet structures, behaved as organic filler, showing a poor interfacial interaction with PBSA with consequent decrease of the tensile properties with increasing its loading. The good processability and satisfactory mechanical properties obtained encourage the use of both investigated collagen hydrolysates in the production of thermoplastic blends and relative molded products for applications in agriculture and plant nurseries, such as pots or small containers with fertilizing properties, due the presence of HCs.

Effects of Poly(ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) on the Microstructure, Thermal, Rheological, and Mechanical Properties of Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polyester Blends.

In this study, a series of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester (TLCP)-based blends containing 1–30 wt% poly(ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PEGMA) were fabricated by masterbatch-assisted melt-compounding. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed a uniformly dispersed microfibrillar structure for the TLCP component in cryogenically-fractured blends, without any phase-separated domains. The FT-IR spectra showed that the carbonyl stretching bands of TLCP/PEGMA blends shifted to higher wavenumbers, suggesting the presence of specific interactions and/or grafting reactions between carboxyl/hydroxyl groups of TLCP and glycidyl methacrylate groups of PEGMA. Accordingly, the melting and crystallization temperatures of the PEGMA component in the blends were greatly lowered compared to the TLCP component. The thermal decomposition peak temperatures of the PEGMA and TLCP components in the blends were characterized as higher than those of neat PEGMA and neat TLCP, respectively. From the rheological data collected at 300 °C, the shear moduli and complex viscosities for the blend with 30 wt% PEGMA were found to be much higher than those of neat PEGMA, which supports the existence of PEGMA-g-TLCP formed during the melt-compounding. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA) analyses demonstrated that the storage moduli of the blends decreased slightly with the PEGMA content up to 3 wt%, increased at the PEGMA content of 5 wt%, and decreased again at PEGMA contents above 7 wt%. The maximum storage moduli for the blend with 5 wt% PEGMA are interpreted to be due to the reinforcing effect of PEGMA-g-TLCP copolymers.

Preparation and characterization of heat-resistant PET/bio-based polyester blends for hot-filled bottles

To improve the glass transition temperature (Tg) and heat resistance of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle, poly (ethylene glycol 1,4-cyclohexane dimethylene isosorbide terephthalate) (PEICT) with a unique cyclic structure was introduced into PET. The miscibility of the PET/PEICT blends and their feasibility as a heat resistant bottle were investigated. The introduction of PEICT into PET increases the Tg and the PET/PEICT blends exhibit a single Tg, indicating good miscibility between PEICT and PET. Furthermore, the Tg and crystallinity of the PET/PEICT blends can be adjusted by controlling the amount of PEICT added. The PET/PEICT blends were transparent in the visible light range (no significant change in transparency) because the blends were truly miscible as confirmed by Fox equation. As expected, the introduction of PEICT into PET bottle allows for improved heat resistance and shape stability due to the rigid molecular structure and chirality of the two tetrahydrofuran rings in the isosorbide group of PEICT. Based on our results, the as-prepared PET/PEICT blends with controllable high heat resistance can be used as a cost-effective alternative material for various hot-filling conditions in the beverage industry by adjusting the optimal ratio of PEICT to PET for each product (e.g. fruit juice, tea).

Insight into the Ionic Transport of Solid Polymer Electrolytes in Polyether and Polyester Blends

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have been playing a crucial role in the development of a high-performance solid-state lithium metal battery. The safety and the easy tailoring of the polymers desi...

The effects of low-profile additives on shrinkage and mechanical properties of cultured marble materials

ABSTRACT Cultured marble is a blend of unsaturated polyester and calcium carbonate that is combined with pigments and additives to produce a wide range of colours and realistic, natural-looking patterns. This study aims to investigate process conditions (catalyst, temperature, cured time, etc …) of cultured marble at high temperatures. The optimized process conditions are obtained by thermal analysis from DSC with a temperature of 110°C and curing time of 20 min, respectively. The optimum catalyst for process conditions in a bulk moulding compound (BMC) machine is 2 phr of benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The styrene amount in UP resin is determined at 37.40% by the Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy – headspace (GCMS-HS) technique. Anhydride maleic (MA) is found to improve outstanding mechanical properties in terms of flexural properties, the strength of impact, and the resistance of volume shrinkage of UP resin in cultured marble material.

Effect of water on impact strength of RTV silicon rubber / Thermosets blend reinforced with nanoparticles

Binary and ternary blends of epoxy resin (EP) and unsaturated polyester (UPE) with different weight fractions (0, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 20%) percentages of RTV silicone rubber (SR) were prepared by two different methods. Before that the silicone rubber (SR) was mixed well with sufficient amount of ethanol in one method, and without ethanol in the other method. It was found that the binary and ternary blends specimens that prepared with ethanol was chosen as the best samples have the highest experimental results of impact strength and a good homogeneous dispersion of silicon rubber in the resins as compared with the blends samples that prepared (without ethanol), which were selected to evaluate the lower mixing ratio (LMR) of these blends. The blends with (LMR) were selected and they are going to be considered as a matrix for the nano composite material to be reinforced by Al with 1% wt, and Al2O3 with 1% wt nanoparticles to develop the properties of (LMR) blends. Impact test was carried out on the blends with (LMR) and their nanocomposites at different environmental conditions before and after immersion in water for 4 weeks. Also hardness (shore D) test was carried out on the blends with (LMR) and their nanocomposites. The best results of this study befor imarsion in water were achieved with the nanocomposite material consisting of (LMR) binary blend reinforced with Al and (LMR) binary blend reinforced with Al2O3 nanoparticles. The results showed that after immersion period of 4 weeks, a decrease in the values of impact strength was observed for the samples of (LMR) binary and ternary blends without reinforcement. It also can be noted that impact strength was increased for the binary blends reinforcement with Al and Al2O3 nano particles after 4 weeks of immersion in water. Whereas it can be seen that ternary blends reinforcement with Al and Al2O3 nano particles would not achieve similar enhanced in impact strength as that of binary blends reinforcement with Al and Al2O3 nano particles after immersion in water.

Pressure-Sensitive Tissue Adhesion and Biodegradation of Viscoelastic Polymer Blends.

Viscoelastic blends of biodegradable polyesters with low and high molecular weight distributions have remarkably strong adhesion (significantly greater than 1 N/cm2) to soft, wet tissue. Those that transition from viscous flow to elastic, solidlike behavior at approximately 1 Hz demonstrate pressure-sensitivity yet also have sufficient elasticity for durable bonding to soft, wet tissue. The pressure-sensitive tissue adhesive (PSTA) blends produce increasingly stronger pull-apart adhesion in response to compressive pressure application, from 10 to 300 s. By incorporating a stiffer high molecular weight component, the PSTA exhibits dramatically improved burst pressure (greater than 100 kPa) when used as a tissue sealant. The PSTA's biodegradation mechanism can be switched from erosion (occurring primarily over the first 10 days) to bulk chemical degradation (and minimal erosion) depending on the chemistry of the high molecular weight component. Interestingly, fibrosis toward the PSTA is reduced when fast-occurring erosion is the dominant biodegradation mechanism.

Study on properties of electromagnetic shielding yarns and fabrics

PurposeWith the popularization of electronic products, the electromagnetic radiation pollution has been the fourth largest pollution after water, air and noise pollution. Therefore, electromagnetic shielding property of textiles is attracting more attention. In this paper, the properties of electromagnetic shielding yarns and fabrics were studied.Design/methodology/approachTen kinds of yarn, stainless steel short fiber and polyester blend yarn with three different blending ratios T/S 90/10, T/S 80/20 and T/S 70/30, stainless steel short fiber, polyester and cotton blend yarn with blending ratio C/T/S 35/35/30, core-spun yarn with one 30 um stainless steel filament C/T28tex/S(30 um), core-spun yarn with two 15 um stainless steel filaments (C/T28tex/S(15 um)/S(15 um)), twin-core-spun yarn with one 30 um stainless steel filament and one 50D spandex filament C/T28tex/S(30 um)/SP(50D), sirofil wrapped yarn with one 30 um stainless steel filament feeding from left S(30 um)+C/T28tex, sirofil wrapped yarn with one 30 um stainless steel filament feeding from right C/T28tex+S(30 um), sirofil wrapped yarn with two 15 um stainless steel filaments feeding from two sides S(15 um)+C/T28tex+ S(15 um), were spun. The qualities of spun yarns were measured. Then, for analyzing the electromagnetic shielding properties of fabrics made of different spun yarns, 20 kinds of fabrics were woven.FindingsThe tested results show that comparing to the T/S 80/20 blend yarn, the resistivity of composite yarns with the same ratio of the stainless steel filament is smaller. The possible reason is that comparing to the stainless steel short fiber, the conductivity of stainless steel filament is better because of the continuous distribution of stainless steel in the filament. Comparing with the core-spun yarn, the conductivity of the sirofil wrapped yarn is a little better. Comparing to the fabric woven by the blend yarn, the electromagnetic shielding of the fabric woven by the composite yarn is better, and comparing to the fabric woven by the core-spun yarn, the electromagnetic shielding of the fabric woven by the sirofil yarn is a little better. The possible reason is that the conduction network can be produced by the stainless steel filament wrapped on the staple fiber yarn surface in the fabric, and the electromagnetic wave can be transmitted in the network.Originality/valueIn this paper, the properties of electromagnetic shielding yarns and fabrics were studied. Ten kinds of yarn, including three stainless steel short fiber and polyester blend yarns, one stainless steel short fiber, polyester and cotton blend yarn, two core-spun yarns, one twin-core-spun yarn, three sirofil wrapped yarn, were spun. Then, for analyzing the electromagnetic shielding properties of fabrics made of different spun yarns, 20 kinds of fabrics were woven. The effects of fabric warp and weft densities, fabric structures, yarn kinds, yarn distributions in the fabric on electromagnetic shielding were analyzed.

Effects of Ultraviolet Pretreatment on Pigment Printing of Cotton / Polyester Blend Fabric

Introduction: Pigments have become the largest colorant group for textile prints because pigment printing is the oldest and cheapest method. Binders are used to fix pigments to the fibers by adhesion. Pigment binders play a significant role in pigment printing because it encloses the pigment particles and adheres to the fiber. Objective: In this study, cotton/polyester blend fabrics were treated with ultraviolet light (UVB) at an air pressure of 1 atm to improve printability. Methods: To study the influence of pretreatment time, experiments were carried out at different exposure times. Untreated and UV treated fabrics were analysed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate changes in the chemical composition of fabrics. It was observed that carbonyl groups were formed on the surface of UV pretreated cotton fibers. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the roughness and cracks on the treated fiber surface. Then, all UV treated and untreated fabrics were screen printed with different kinds of pigments. The color strength of the printed fabrics and fastness properties to washing and dry/wet rubbing were evaluated. Results: Experimental data showed that atmospheric UV pretreatment led to an increase in pigment uptake. Moreover, UV pretreated fabrics had better dry and wet rubbing fastness compared with untreated fabrics. Conclusion: The washing fastness of UV pretreated fabric showed no significant change and was comparable with that of untreated fabric. The loss in tensile strength of UV pretreated fabrics was greater than untreated samples.

High performance epoxy/polyester-based nanocomposite coatings for multipurpose applications: A review

Epoxies are important thermosetting polymers with exceptional features, which have been successfully employed for coatings. Polyester blends with epoxy enhances their chemical inertness, anti-rusting, toughness, strength, glass transition temperature, and heat stability, Epoxy/polyester blends have been further reinforced with nanocarbon, nanoclay, and inorganic nanoparticles to form nanocomposite coatings. Incorporating nanoparticles in epoxy/polyester has further improved their engineering properties. This review article principally offers state-of-the-art review of epoxy/polyester blends and epoxy-/polyester-based nanocomposite coatings. The epoxy/polyester and epoxy/polyester-based nanocomposites have been employed in non-flammable, anti-corrosion, anti-microbial, and anti-wear coatings in automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics, biomedical, and civil engineering applications. In order to fully utilize their potential, rigorous future attempts are needed for progress in the related technical fields.

Investigation of The Thermal Conductivity of Binary Polymer Blends

In this research, binary polymer blends are formed from epoxy, unsaturated polyester and polyurethane. The concentration were chosen with varying percentages of components, resulting in three groups; polyurethane / epoxy (PU/EP), epoxy/unsaturated polyester (EP/UPE) and polyurethane/unsaturated polyester (PU/UPE) blends. Hand lay-up technique was used to prepare the samples with 6 mm thickness prepared from simultaneous mixing of the two constituents in the required percentages.Thermal conductivity K for these blends was carried out by using Lee’s disk method at room temperature. The experimental results showed that an increment and/or decrement of thermal conductivity depend on type and blend concentration. Also the experimental results indicated that the thermal conductivity has the highest values of (K) (0.78 J/m2.k) at ratios (PU 10% / EP 90 %), (0.70 J/m2.k) at ratios (EP 50% / UPE 50%) and (0.50 J/m2.k) at ratios (PU 40% / UPE 60%) respectively. This increment of (K) implies that the penetration of molecules of both polymer components in the same direct then a good transfer of energy by the vibration and rotation of the chain molecules.Also the experimental results indicated that the thermal conductivity has the lowest value of (K) (0.52 J/m2.k) at ratios (PU 40% / EP 60%), (0. 0.53 J/m2.k) has obtained at ratios (EP 30% / UPE 70%) and (0. 0.31 J/m2.k) has obtained at ratios (PU 60% / UPE 40%) respectively.

Вплив орієнтаційного витягування на властивості сумішей поліефірів ПЕТg/ПЕТ

Rational conditions for orientational drawing of PETg/PET polyester blend during processing into tape products are established. Tensile strength and elongation at break for all test specimens were determined according to ISO 527-2: 2012. Tensile modulus - ISO 527-1: 2019, specimen density - PN-EN ISO 1183-1, change of linear dimensions of specimens - ISO 16012: 2015. It was found that the introduction of PET into PETg leads to an increase in tensile strength of the blend, which is probably due to the process of orientational crystallization of PET. When the orientations are higher than 5.5 times in the PETg /PET mixtures, cavitation foaming occurs, which leads to a decrease in the blend density, its turbidity and a decrease in tensile strength. Blends with a high content of PETg have a significant thermal shrinkage, which should be taken into account when processing and applying these polymers. Physical and mechanical properties of PETg/PET polyesters blend with different ratio in the process of orientational stretching are established. The tensile strength increases with the increase drawing ratio for blends with high PET content due to its orientation crystallization. The phenomenon of cavitation foaming in polyester blend with draw ratio more than 5.5 times is found, which is accompanied by a decrease in the density of the samples and their tensile strength. Presence of PETg in PET matrix decrease tensile strength and elongation and significantly increase thermal shrinkage. Low elongation at break found for PETg/PET blend specimen without orientation which increases dramatically with low draw ratios and then decrease with higher drawing ratio. The technological modes of realization of cavitation foaming for the PETg/PET mixture at orientation drawing ratio above 5.5 due to the different phase structure of the components of the mixtures have been established. The introduction of PETg into PET leads to a significant increase in thermal shrinkage and reduces the physical and mechanical performance of oriented products.

Production and characterization of recycled polyester (r-PET) blend vortex and ring spun yarns

Nowadays, many major fashion brands are now producing recycled polyester (r-PET) textile products from PET bottles to contribute to sustainability. Of course, this means that textiles containing r-PET will now be produced at an increasing volume. R-PET fiber nowadays can be produced by optimizing machine settings only in the ring and rotor spinning systems. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the spinnability of r-PET fiber in the vortex spinning system. In this context, recycled r-PET fiber from PET bottle was blended with cotton (Co) and viscose (Cv) fibers in different blending ratios and yarns production were performed in ring and vortex spinning systems. Strength, elongation, unevenness (CVm%), imperfection index (IPI) and hairiness properties were determined and the results were statistically analyzed. In addition, it was determined that yarn production method, yarn composition and blend ratio had a significant effect on investigtated properties of the yarns.

Sustainable Plastics from Biomass: Blends of Polyesters Based on 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid.

Intending to expand the thermo-physical properties of bio-based polymers, furan-based thermoplastic polyesters were synthesized following the melt polycondensation method. The resulting polymers, namely, poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF), poly(propylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PPF), poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PBF) and poly(1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PCHDMF) are used in blends together with various polymers of industrial importance, including poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN), poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) and polycarbonate (PC). The blends are studied concerning their miscibility, crystallization and solid-state characteristics by using wide-angle X-ray diffractometry (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). PEF blends show in general dual glass transitions in the DSC heating traces for the melt quenched samples. Only PPF–PEF blends show a single glass transition and a single melt phase in PLM. PPF forms immiscible blends except with PEF and PBF. PBF forms miscible blends with PCHDMF and PPF, whereas all other blends show dual glass transitions in DSC and phase separation in PLM. PCHDMF–PEF and PEN–PEF blends show two glass transition temperatures, but they shift to intermediate temperature values depending on the composition, indicating some partial miscibility of the polymer pairs.

Mechanical Recycling of Partially Bio-Based and Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate Blends by Reactive Extrusion with Poly(styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate).

In the present study, partially bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (bio-PET) was melt-mixed at 15–45 wt% with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET) obtained from remnants of the injection blowing process of contaminant-free food-use bottles. The resultant compounded materials were thereafter shaped into pieces by injection molding for characterization. Poly(styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PS-co-GMA) was added at 1–5 parts per hundred resin (phr) of polyester blend during the extrusion process to counteract the ductility and toughness reduction that occurred in the bio-PET pieces after the incorporation of r-PET. This random copolymer effectively acted as a chain extender in the polyester blend, resulting in injection-molded pieces with slightly higher mechanical resistance properties and nearly the same ductility and toughness than those of neat bio-PET. In particular, for the polyester blend containing 45 wt% of r-PET, elongation at break (εb) increased from 10.8% to 378.8% after the addition of 5 phr of PS-co-GMA, while impact strength also improved from 1.84 kJ·m−2 to 2.52 kJ·m−2. The mechanical enhancement attained was related to the formation of branched and larger macromolecules by a mechanism of chain extension based on the reaction of the multiple glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) groups present in PS-co-GMA with the hydroxyl (–OH) and carboxyl (–COOH) terminal groups of both bio-PET and r-PET. Furthermore, all the polyester blend pieces showed thermal and dimensional stabilities similar to those of neat bio-PET, remaining stable up to more than 400 °C. Therefore, the use low contents of the tested multi-functional copolymer can successfully restore the properties of bio-based but non-biodegradable polyesters during melt reprocessing with their recycled petrochemical counterparts and an effective mechanical recycling is achieved.

Cellulose nanofibers reinforced biodegradable polyester blends: Ternary biocomposites with balanced mechanical properties

Blending two biodegradable aliphatic polyesters with complementary bulk properties is an easy way of tuning their final properties. In this work, the ductile poly(butylene succinate) was mixed with polylactide, and as expectable, the blends show improved toughness with sharply reduced strengths. The pristine cellulose nanofibers were then used as the reinforcement for the blends. It is found that most nanofibers are dispersed in the polylactide phase because polylactide has better affinity to nanofibers, and the lower viscosity level of polylactide also favors driving nanofibers into the continuous polylactide phase during melting mixing. In this case, the strength and rigidity losses resulted from the presence of soft poly(butylene succinate) phase are compensated to some extent. To further improve mechanical properties, a two-step approach (reactive processing of blends, followed by the incorporation with nanofibers) was developed. This work provides an interesting way of fabricating fully biodegradable composites with well-balanced mechanical performance.

Tuning Degradation and Mechanical Properties of Poly(l-lactic acid) with Biomass-Derived Poly(l-malic acid)

Poly(l-malic acid) (PLMA) oligomer was used as the minor phase to prepare the blends with poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), with the objective to develop fully biomass-derived and biodegradable aliphatic polyester blends with balanced overall performance. The phase behavior and viscoelastic responses reveals that the two phases are thermodynamically immiscible, showing high level of interfacial tension in their blends. Poor phase adhesion and lower mass weight of PLMA results in an evident decrease of mechanical properties of the blends as compared to PLLA. The dilute effect caused by the addition of PLMA, however, promotes the cold crystallization of PLLA. Therefore, the strength and modulus losses of the blends can be remedied well by the annealing in solid state. Besides, the degradation rates can also be regulated by the presence of hydrophilic PLMA phase. In this case, a fully green PLLA/PLMA blend with balanced properties is fabricated. This work also provides useful information developing new applications of PLMA.

Thermal Analysis of Aliphatic Polyester Blends with Natural Antioxidants.

The aim of this research was to enhance thermal stability of aliphatic polyester blends via incorporation of selected natural antioxidants of plant origin. Thermal methods of analysis, including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA), are significant tools for estimating the stabilization effect of polyphenols in a polymer matrix. Thermal stability was determined by analyzing thermogravimetric curves. Polymers with selected antioxidants degraded more slowly with rising temperature in comparison to reference samples without additives. This property was also confirmed by results obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), where the difference between the oxidation temperatures of pure material and polymer with natural stabilizers was observed. According to the results, the materials with selected antioxidants, including trans-chalcone, flavone and lignin have higher oxidation temperature than the pure ones, which confirms that chosen phytochemicals protect polymers from oxidation. Moreover, based on the colour change results or FT-IR spectra analysis, some of the selected antioxidants, including lignin and trans-chalcone, can be utilized as colorants or aging indicators. Taking into account the data obtained, naturally occurring antioxidants, including polyphenols, can be applied as versatile pro-ecological additives for biodegradable and bio-based aliphatic polyesters to obtain fully environmentally friendly materials dedicated for packaging industry.

Garment Waste Recycled Cotton/Polyester Thermal and Acoustic Properties of Air‐Laid Nonwovens

This research paper reports a study on thermal and sound insulation samples developed from garment waste recycled cotton/polyester fiber (recycled cotton/PET) for construction industry applications. In this research work, the piece of clothing waste recycled cotton and polyester fiber is a potential source of raw material for thermal and sound insulation applications, but its quantities are limited. To overcome the above problems, apparel waste recycled cotton fiber was mixed with recycled/PET fiber in 50/50 proportions in the form of two‐layer nonwoven mats with chemical bonding methods. The samples such as cotton (color and white), polyester (color and white), and cotton–polyester blend (color and white) were prepared. All the samples were tested for thermal insulation, acoustic, moisture absorption, and fiber properties as per the ASTM Standard. Also, the behavior of the six recycled cotton/polyester nonwoven samples under high humidity conditions was evaluated. The sound absorption coefficients were measured according to ASTM E 1050 by an impedance tube method; the acoustics absorption coefficients over six frequencies of 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz were calculated. The result revealed that recycled/PET/cotton garment waste nonwoven mats were absorbing the sound resistance of more than 70% and the recycled nonwoven mats provided the best insulation, acoustic, moisture absorption, and fiber properties. The recycled pieces of clothing waste cotton/polyester nonwoven mats have adequate moisture resistance at high humidity conditions without affecting the insulation and acoustic properties.

Antimicrobial Efficiency and Surface Interactions of Quaternary Ammonium Compound Absorbed on Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Treated Fiber-Based Wiping Materials.

The physicochemical interactions between alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC) as disinfectant and three commercial wiping materials made from 100% polyester (PET), 55%cellulose/45%PET (blend), and 100% cellulose were investigated after treatment with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at atmospheric pressure. Wipe material type in terms of cellulose content, liquor ratio, and immersion time demonstrated a significant influence on the adsorption of ADBAC. The higher the content of cellulose in the material, the higher is the adsorption of ADBAC active ingredient. The antimicrobial tests confirm that the ADBAC adsorbed on pure cellulosic material is inactivated losing its bactericidal activity, while 100% PET and blend wipes showed good antimicrobial efficacy. XPS analysis demonstrates the strong interactions of ADBAC with the plasma-generated oxygen species in the polyester-containing wipes surface. Unexpectedly, plasma-treated blend wipe displays a reverse antimicrobial effect compared to untreated samples, performing better in Gram-negative bacteria. The best result was obtained in the plasma treated 100% polyester wipe showing an improvement of about 20% in Gram-positive bacteria and an excellent performance in Gram-negative ones. This method allows the unprecedented use of pure polyester as effective wiping material for surface disinfection eliminating the major drawback of pure polyester, its high hydrophobicity.