Commercial Fabrics Research Articles

Self-reinforced composites based on commercial PP woven fabrics and a random PP copolymer modified with quartz

Self-reinforced composites based on commercial polypropylene (PP) woven fabrics and a random PP copolymer modified with quartz were obtained by film stacking. The effect of the incorporation of quartz on the materials fracture and failure behavior was studied through uniaxial tensile tests and quasi-static fracture experiments. Acoustic emission analysis was also performed in situ in the tensile tests. A higher consolidation quality was obtained for the composites containing quartz. In the composite with random PP modified with 5 wt% quartz, the higher consolidation and the better dispersion of quartz particles positively impacted on the materials tensile and fracture behavior. From the results of acoustic emission analysis, fiber fracture appears as the dominant failure mechanism in the investigated composites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Facile synthesis of flexible macroporous polypropylene sponges for separation of oil and water.

Oil spill disasters always occur accidentally, accompanied by the release of plenty of crude oil that could spread quickly over a wide area, creating enormous damage to the fragile marine ecological system. Therefore, the facile large-scale synthesis of hydrophobic three-dimensional (3-D) porous sorbents from low cost raw materials is in urgent demand. In this study, we report the facile template-free synthesis of polypropylene (PP) sponge by using a thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS) technique. The obtained sponge showed macroporous structure, excellent mechanical property, high hydrophobicity, and superoleophilicity. Oil could be separated from an oil/water mixture by simple immersing the sponge into the mixture and subsequent squeezing the sponge. All of these features make this sponge the most promising oil sorbent that will replace commercial non-woven PP fabrics.

Fabrication of Te and Te-Au Nanowires-Based Carbon Fiber Fabrics for Antibacterial Applications.

Pathogenic bacteria that give rise to diseases every year remain a major health concern. In recent years, tellurium-based nanomaterials have been approved as new and efficient antibacterial agents. In this paper, we developed the approach to directly grow tellurium nanowires (Te NWs) onto commercial carbon fiber fabrics and demonstrated their antibacterial activity. Those Te NWs can serve as templates and reducing agents for gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) to deposit. Three different Te-Au NWs with varied concentration of Au NPs were synthesized and showed superior antibacterial activity and biocompability. These results indicate that the as-prepared carbon fiber fabrics with Te and Te-Au NWs can become antimicrobial clothing products in the near future.

Porous honeycomb structures formed from interconnected MnO2 sheets on CNT-coated substrates for flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors.

The use of lightweight and easily-fabricated MnO2/carbon nanotube (CNT)-based flexible networks as binder-free electrodes and a polyvinyl alcohol/H2SO4 electrolyte for the formation of stretchable solid-state supercapacitors was examined. The active electrodes were fabricated from 3D honeycomb porous MnO2 assembled from cross-walled and interconnected sheet-architectural MnO2 on CNT-based plastic substrates (denoted as honeycomb MnO2/CNT textiles).These substrates were fabricated through a simple two-step procedure involving the coating of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) onto commercial textiles by a dipping-drying process and subsequent electrodeposition of the interconnected MnO2 sheets onto the MWCNT-coated textile. With such unique MnO2 architectures integrated onto CNT flexible films, good performance was achieved with a specific capacitance of 324 F/g at 0.5 A/g. A maximum energy density of 7.2 Wh/kg and a power density as high as 3.3 kW/kg were exhibited by the honeycomb MnO2/CNT network device, which is comparable to the performance of other carbon-based and metal oxide/carbon-based solid-state supercapacitor devices. Specifically, the long-term cycling stability of this material is excellent, with almost no loss of its initial capacitance and good Coulombic efficiency of 82% after 5000 cycles. These impressive results identify these materials as a promising candidate for use in environmentally friendly, low-cost, and high-performance flexible energy-storage devices.

Influence of the Textile Parameters on the Complex Shape Forming Properties of Flax Based Fabrics

This study examines the ability to develop composite parts with complex geometries without defect. An experimental approach is used to identify and quantify the defects such as buckling caused by the bending of rovings during forming. Solutions are developed to obtain a complex shape such as a tetrahedron without any defect by using specially designed flax based reinforcement architecture. However, this solution may not be sufficient for other types of shapes and that is why the optimisation of the process parameters to prevent occurrence of buckles from commercial fabrics was also investigated.

Designing Robust Hierarchically Textured Oleophobic Fabrics

Commercially available woven fabrics (e.g., nylon- or PET-based fabrics) possess inherently re-entrant textures in the form of cylindrical yarns and fibers. We analyze the liquid repellency of woven and nanotextured oleophobic fabrics using a nested model with n levels of hierarchy that is constructed from modular units of cylindrical and spherical building blocks. At each level of hierarchy, the density of the topographical features is captured using a dimensionless textural parameter D(n)*. For a plain-woven mesh comprised of chemically treated fiber bundles (n = 2), the tight packing of individual fibers in each bundle (D2* ≈ 1) imposes a geometric constraint on the maximum oleophobicity that can be achieved solely by modifying the surface energy of the coating. For liquid droplets contacting such tightly bundled fabrics with modified surface energies, we show that this model predicts a lower bound on the equilibrium contact angle of θ(E) ≈ 57° below which the Cassie–Baxter to Wenzel wetting transition occurs spontaneously, and this is validated experimentally. We demonstrate how the introduction of an additional higher order micro-/nanotexture onto the fibers (n = 3) is necessary to overcome this limit and create more robustly nonwetting fabrics. Finally, we show a simple experimental realization of the enhanced oleophobicity of fabrics by depositing spherical microbeads of poly(methyl methacrylate)/fluorodecyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (fluorodecyl POSS) onto the fibers of a commercial woven nylon fabric.

Effective utilization of calcareous soil towards the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution

Color is the main attraction of any fabric industry. No matter how excellent its constitution, if unsuitably colored it is bound to be a failure as a commercial fabric. Manufacture and use of synthetic dyes like methylene blue (MB) for fabric dyeing has therefore become a massive industry today. Soil is widely used as adsorbent for removing toxic pollutants from their aqueous solutions due to its wide availability and cost efficiency. In this work, the feasibility of employing calcareous soil to remove MB, a cationic dye from its aqueous solutions was investigated. The entire process has been done through batch operation. Percentage removal was greater for dilute solutions, but the absolute amount of MB adsorbed by the calcareous soil at equilibrium increased with an increase of the initial concentration. The kinetics of the adsorption process was analyzed by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intraparticle diffusion, surface mass transfer, and Elovich models. The first four mechanisms seem to be significant in the rate controlling step. Equilibrium adsorption was investigated by Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and D–R isotherms. The Langmuir equation (R 2 = 0.982) fitted to equilibrium data better than all the tested isotherm models. The dimensionless separation factor (R L) was low (0.00007) indicating favorable adsorption of MB on to calcareous soil. Thermodynamic activation parameters such as ∆S°, ∆G°, and ∆H° were also calculated and results revealed that the adsorption process is a favorable exothermic and can be spontaneous in nature. Finally, it can be concluded that calcareous soil can be an effective low-cost adsorbent for removal of cationic dye from waste effluents.

Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of Flax-Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Laminates for Industrial Applications.

The present work describes the experimental mechanical characterisation of a natural flax fibre reinforced epoxy polymer composite. A commercial plain woven quasi-unidirectional flax fabric with spun-twisted yarns is employed in particular, as well as unidirectional composite panels manufactured with three techniques: hand-lay-up, vacuum bagging and resin infusion. The stiffness and strength behaviours are investigated under both monotonic and low-cycle fatigue loadings. The analysed material has, in particular, shown a typical bilinear behaviour under pure traction, with a knee yield point occurring at a rather low stress value, after which the material tensile stiffness is significantly reduced. In the present work, such a mechanism is investigated by a phenomenological approach, performing periodical loading/unloading cycles, and repeating tensile tests on previously “yielded” samples to assess the evolution of stiffness behaviour. Infrared thermography is also employed to measure the temperature of specimens during monotonic and cyclic loading. In the first case, the thermal signal is monitored to correlate departures from the thermoelastic behaviour with the onset of energy loss mechanisms. In the case of cyclic loading, the thermoelastic signal and the second harmonic component are both determined in order to investigate the extent of elastic behaviour of the material.

High electrical conductance poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) coatings on textile for electrocardiogram monitoring

In this article we present textile sensors for the continuous monitoring of electrocardiograms (ECG), made from fabrics coated with high electrically conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). Polymer coatings of PEDOT were in situ synthetized on plain weave fabrics of polyester by the vapour phase polymerization method, using aqueous oxidant solutions of Fe (III) chloride with a concentration of one molar, two polymerization layers and optimized process parameters. The coating provided fabrics with high electrical conductivity, characterized by a sheet resistivity of 10Ωsq−1. PEDOT coated fabrics and commercial conductive fabrics were made into sensors using a digital embroidery method. The performance of the sensors was analyzed by measurements of signal to noise ratio (SNR) under dry and moisture conditions and compared to those obtained with gel electrodes. The PEDOT sensors exhibited good performance characterized by SNR levels of the order to those obtained with gel electrodes. ECG sensors made of different types of fabrics exhibit significant differences in the noise amplitude, suggesting that the textile fibres and surface morphology are relevant parameters to consider in the sensoŕs design, affecting the contact resistance electrode—skin. The sensor’s resistance to washing cycles was tested under various temperature and detergent conditions. The experimental results indicate that the lifetime of the electrodes can be considerably enhanced with detergent solutions of dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS).

The Effect of Fabric Structural Parameters and Fiber Type on the Comfort-Related Properties of Commercial Apparel Fabrics

The effect of fabric structural parameters and fiber type on the comfort-related properties, namely water vapor resistance and thermal resistance, of commercial apparel (suiting) fabrics, containing both natural and man-made fibers have been studied using a Permetest. The effects of the various fabric parameters on the comfort-related properties were determined and quantified using multiple regression analyses and best fit regression equations. It was found that the fabric parameters, mass and thickness in particular, had a much greater effect on the comfort-related properties, than did the fiber type or blend, or fabric structure.

New Approach to Assessing Fabric Drape Based on the Fractal Dimension

The usefulness of the fractal dimension of drape (D) to explain the shape of fabrics acquired when allowed to fall freely under the effect of gravity was assessed by using the box-counting method to calculate it for comparison with the drape ratio (%DR) of 36 commercial woven fabrics spanning a wide range of composition, weave type and mass per square meter. These two parameters were found to be highly correlated with %DR, varying over wide ranges and D over narrow ranges. Based on the results, the fractal nature of the drape does not significantly improve on the information about the drape shape in woven fabrics provided by the well-known indicator “drape ratio” (%DR).

A three-dimensional flexible supercapacitor with enhanced performance based on lightweight, conductive graphene-cotton fabric electrode

Recently, the topic of developing lightweight, flexible and implantable energy storage systems to address the energy-supply problem of wearable electronics has aroused increasing interests. In this paper, by introducing reduced graphene oxide (rGO), we successfully converted the commercial cotton fabric into free-standing, electrically conductive and electrochemically active fabric. Flexible supercapacitor based on the obtained conductive reduced graphene oxide-carbonized cotton fabric (rGO/CCF) exhibits high capacitance (87.53 mF cm−2 at 2 mV s−1), well cycling stability (89.82% capacitance retention after 1000 charge–discharge cycles) and excellent electrochemical stability (90.5% capacitance retention after 100 bending cycles). Moreover, a macroscopic three-dimensional sandwich-interdigital device structure was designed to enhance the supercapacitor performance. The unique rGO/CCF based sandwich-interdigital structure (SIS) supercapacitor shows a volumetric capacitance of 5.53 F cm−3 at current density of 0.0625 A cm−3 in aqueous electrolyte, which is 1.67 and 4.28 orders higher than the traditional sandwich structure (SS) and interdigital structure (IS) supercapacitor based on the same electrode material and electrolyte. Furthermore, energy density enhancement of the supercapacitor has also been achieved by adopting the well-designed device structure. The original SIS supercapacitor based on the elaborate device structure and high-performance electrode material may provide new design opportunities for flexible energy storage devices.

Application of discriminant analysis to parameters describing the drape for two types of woven fabrics

A total of 33 commercial drapery and lining fabrics were used to determine the drape indicators drape ratio and R-factor. The slope of a plot of one indicator against the other was found not to afford complete characterization of drape shape for fabrics of different commercial use. In this work, further six parameters describing the drape, proposed by the authors to discriminate drape shapes were also calculated. Discriminant analysis of the data revealed that a linear combination of various parameters allowed two types of woven fabrics (viz. drapery and linen) to be distinguished. The discriminant function used accurately classified 75.76% of the fabrics studied.

Activation Free SAM-Assisted Silver Electroless Metallization of Textile for Strain Sensor Application

Flexible, stretchable and wearable electronic devices are becoming moredemanding due to their facile interaction with human body. These devices can beeasily mount on clothing or directly attached onto skin. Among wearableelectronic devices, highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors have drawn lotsof attention for monitoring human body motions. There are number ofrequirements for a high performance strain sensor including high sensitivity (i.e.,gauge factor (GF)), high stretchability, fast response, high stability and lowfabrication cost. Personal health monitoring, sport performance monitoring andhuman motion capturing for entertainment systems are the most popularapplications for a high performance strain senor.In this paper, we present a cost effective simple strain sensor fabricated throughsilver electroless metallization of commercial polyester fabric. To avoid usingSnCl2 or PdCl2 activation solutions, a silica-like layer was formed on polyesterfabric using an acetone based aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) solutionfollowed by UV irradiation. Once the anchoring sites for later silanization weredeveloped, a toluene based solution of (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane(MPTMS) were used to activate the polyester fabric. Silver electrolessmetallization was carried out on activated polyester using silver nitrate salt andglucose as reducing agent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-raydiffraction spectroscopy (XRD) were used to characterize the Ag-coated polyester.A thin silver coating (<1 μm) with uniform morphology and high purity wasdeposited on polyester. The conductive fabric was cut into strips of 5mmthickness for stretch-conductivity measurements. A micro-tensile machine withan in-situ confocal microscope was coupled with a digital multimeter (2-pointprobing) to investigate strain dependence electrical resistivity. In-situ confocalimaging was used to investigate the micromechanical mechanisms responsible forchanges in resistivity during stretching. A linear decrease in electrical resistancewas detected by stetching untill it reaches to a platu. The results of stretch–conductivitymeasurements suggest the potential application of Ag/Polyester forstrain sensors. Figure 1

Designing One-and-a-Half Layer Fabrics with Specified Properties for Making Composite Materials

For making anti-friction composite materials, we propose using combination one-and-a-half layer fabrics with an extra weft based on UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) yarns instead of commercial fabric containing expensive and not readily available Polyfen yarns. We have established that using UHMWPE yarns in the fabric structure makes it possible to substantially improve its abrasion resistance and tensile strength. We have determined the basic physical and mechanical parameters of the properties and the geometric parameters of the structure for the commercial and experimental samples of combination fabrics, which will allow us in future to simplify the process of designing these materials and selecting a practical fabric structure.

Fabric handle properties of superfine wool fabrics with different fibre curvature, cashmere content and knitting tightness

The handle properties of single jersey fabrics composed of superfine wools (17 μm) of different fibre curvature (114 vs. 74 °/mm) in blends with cashmere (fibre curvature 49 °/mm) were investigated. There were four blend ratios of cashmere (0, 25, 50, 75%) plus 100% cashmere. Each of the nine fibre blend combinations were replicated three times, and each was knitted into three tightness factors. The 81 fabrics were evaluated using the Wool HandleMeter, which measures seven primary handle attributes and Overall handle, and have been calibrated using a panel of experts and a wide variety of commercial fabrics. Results were analysed by ANOVA and general linear modelling. Tightness factor significantly affected all Wool HandleMeter attribute values, with the effect of tightness factor varying according to handle attribute. The Wool HandleMeter was able to detect differences between fabrics composed of superfine wool differing in fibre curvature, with lower fibre curvature wool fabrics having more preferred Overall handle and softer, looser, cooler, lighter and less dry handle attributes at some or all tightness factors compared with fabrics composed of higher fibre curvature superfine wool. Progressively blending cashmere with wool significantly improved Overall handle, increased soft and smooth handle, reduced dry, heavy and tight handle. Linear regression modelling indicated that fabric mass per unit area explained more than 50% of the variance in overall fabric handle and in combination with variations in fabric thickness and yarn elongation could explain 71% of the variance in Overall handle.

Inducing out‐of‐plane auxetic behavior in needle‐punched nonwovens

We describe here a heat‐compression protocol used on needle‐punched commercial nonwoven fabrics which induces an out‐of‐plane auxetic response in these treated fabrics. The as‐received samples, however, are not auxetic and show a decrease in thickness when stretched uniaxially. Using micro‐CT imaging it was found that the vertical fiber bundles/columns, produced in the needle punching step of fabric manufacture, are tilted and buckled as a result of the heat‐compression treatment. It is suggested that it is likely the reorientation of these columns during subsequent uniaxial strain that drives thickness increase (auxetic response).Variation of instantaneous Poisson's ratio with axial strain for as‐received and treated nonwovens.

Comfortable textile-based electrode for wearable electrocardiogram

Purpose – The purpose of the current study is to explore the potential possibility of acceleration in recognition, remedial process of heart disease and continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) signal acquisition. The textile-based ECG electrode is prepared by inkjet printing of activator followed by electroless plating of nickel (Ni) particle. Design/methodology/approach – The electrical resistance shows a range of around 0.1 Ω/sq, which sounds quite proper for ECG signal acquisition, as the potential difference according to heart activity on skin surface is in milivolt range. Surface modifications of Ni–phosphorus (P)-plated polyester fiber were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffractionmethods. The quality of the acquired signal from printed square-shaped sensors in two sizes with areas of 9 and 16 cm2 compared with the standard Ag/Agcl electrode using commercial ECG with the patient in the sitting position. Findings – Comparison of these data led to the consideration of small fabric sensor for better performance and the least disturbance regarding homogeneity and attenuation in electric field scattering. Using these types of sensors in textile surface because of flexibility will provide more freedom of action to the user. Wearable ECG can be applied to solve the problems of the aging population, increasing demand for health services and lack of medical expert. Originality/value – In the present research, a convenient, inexpensive and reproducible method for the patterning of Ni features on commercial polyester fabric was investigated. Printed designs with high electrical conductivity can be used as a cardiac receiving signals’ sensor.

Layered double hydroxide functionalized textile for effective oil/water separation and selective oil adsorption.

The removal of oil and organic pollutants from water is highly desired due to frequent oil spill accidents, as well as the increase of industrial oily wastewater. Here, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic textile has been successfully prepared for the application of effective oil/water separation and selective oil adsorption. This textile was fabricated by functionalizing the commercial textile with layered double hydroxide (LDH) microcrystals and low surface energy molecules. The LDH microcrystals were immobilized on the microfibers of the textile through an in situ growth method, and they formed a nestlike microstructure. The combination of the hierarchical structure and the low surface energy molecules made the textile superhydrophobic and superoleophilic. Further experiments demonstrated that the as-prepared textile not only can be applied as effective membrane materials for the separation of oil and water mixtures with high separation efficiency (>97%), but also can be used as a bag for the selective oil adsorption from water. Thus, such superhydrophobic and superoleophilic textile is a very promising material for the application of oil spill cleanup and industrial oily wastewater treatment.

Simple method of deposition of CuO nanoparticles on a cellulose paper and its antibacterial activity

• Simple technique was used to deposit CuO nanoleaves on different substrates. • CuO deposited cellulose paper was investigated for disinfection properties. • The composite is suitable for point-of-use water treatment systems. We report a simple in situ technique to deposit nanoparticles of copper oxide on the cellulose paper which forms a stable layer of CuO. This method can be used to deposit copper oxide on any substrate provided that it is wettable and tolerates relatively high pH around 10–12 for several hours. Same method was applied to deposit CuO on commercial textile and polyethersulfone flat sheet. The resultant CuOpaper shows superior antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This antibacterial effect is due to release of copper ions from CuO nanoparticles on the paper. The resultant composite can be used as cheap point of use system to produce safe, pathogen free drinking water.