Commercial Fabrics Research Articles

Appearance Performance of Commercial Hijab Fabrics

Muslim women is required to wear hijab as a religion obligation which symbolizes women’s faith to the creator (Quran 24:21). Many types of hijab are available in market, with ready-to-wear (RTW) hijab being the most popular choice of hijab in Malaysia. Limited knowledge on fabric characteristics among consumers has created dissatisfaction in many aspects of hijab performance associated to appearance and comfort. This paper presented the study of hijab appearance performances. Ten commercial fabrics (Cotton, Tetron Cotton, silk, rayon, Crepe back satin, Valentino dull satin, chiffon crepe, French voile, and Koshibo) which are commonly used in hijab making, were investigated. Stiffness, drape, wrinkle aspect, pilling, and snagging of fabric, which are associated with hijab appearance, were examined. A fabric ranking index was then developed to further support the analysis. In order to validate the result, a wear test was conducted where the tested fabrics were develop into hijabs and wear assessment was conducted. Feedback from the respondents were obtained and compared with the fabric ranking index. The results of this study concluded that Koshibo, Valentino Dull Satin, Chiffon crepe and French Voile exhibited the highest performance ranking among all the fabric tested. The study provides the reference to hijab manufacturers and end users in selecting the most suitable fabric for hijab in terms of the respective appearance properties.

Electrostatic Properties of Clothing Fabrics Suitable for Different End-Uses

The static electricity properties of textile products are very important, especially when clothing comfort is the main subject. In this study, four sets of clothing fabrics containing 33 systematic and 18 non-systematic woven fabrics in total were used in order to examine the electrostatic charging properties. A testing mechanism which provides static electricity by the triboelectrification method was manufactured, and electrostatic voltage values occurring on the fabric samples were measured by an electrostatic voltmeter simultaneously with the testing mechanism. The repeatability of the results was checked by using polyester and cotton systematic woven fabrics. After this stage, the effects of fabric structural parameters and the rubbing period on electrostatic charging properties were evaluated. Moreover, non-systematic commercial woven fabrics were also tested in the study. In the last section of the experimental part, the best clothing and lining fabric combinations were revealed according to the lowest static electricity results.

Laser Writing of Janus Graphene/Kevlar Textile for Intelligent Protective Clothing.

Protective clothing plays a vital role in safety and security. Traditional protective clothing can protect the human body from physical injury. It is highly desirable to integrate modern wearable electronics into a traditional protection suit to endow it with versatile smart functions. However, it is still challenging to integrate electronics into clothing through a practical approach while keeping the intrinsic flexibility and breathability of textiles. In this work, we realized the direct writing of laser-induced graphene (LIG) on a Kevlar textile in air and demonstrated the applications of the as-prepared Janus graphene/Kevlar textile in intelligent protective clothing. The C═O and N-C bonds in Kevlar were broken, and the remaining carbon atoms were reorganized into graphene, which can be ascribed to a photothermal effect induced by the laser irradiation. Proof-of-concept devices based on the prepared graphene/Kevlar textile, including flexible Zn-air batteries, electrocardiogram electrodes, and NO2 sensors, were demonstrated. Further, we fabricated self-powered and intelligent protective clothing based on the graphene/Kevlar textile. The laser-induced direct writing of graphene from commercial textiles in air conditions provides a versatile and rapid route for the fabrication of textile electronics.

Turning Cotton to Self-Supported Electrocatalytic Carbon Electrode for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction

Exploring self-supported electrodes with effective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability is of great significance for the future development of metal-air batteries and fuel cells. However, there remain serious challenges in identifying suitable materials and developing sustainable fabrication processes to achieve highly efficient, durable and low-cost self-supported air cathodes. In this work, we report a facile and environmentally friendly method to fabricate electrocatalytic carbon electrodes from commercial cotton fabrics with excellent ORR activity. The iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon fabrics possess outstanding ORR catalytic performance comparable with that of Pt/C, with an onset potential of 0.92 V (vs. RHE) and an electron transfer number close to 4. The experimental results have shown that our carbonisation process can give a high specific surface area (1769 m2/g) with a hierarchical porous structure. Doping leads to the formation of Fe-Nχ species with excellent catalytic activity and durability. Finally, both fundamental understanding of liquid Zn-air battery with well-ground catalysts powders from carbon fabric and practical application of self-supported carbon fabric electrode in solid-state Zn-air battery exhibit promising performance. Our results strongly suggest that natural cellulose fabrics can be a promising material for fabricating highly active, durable and affordable air cathodes for many renewable energy devices such as metal-air batteries and fuel cells.

Conception of yeast microbial desalination cell: applications to dye wastewater treatment and lead removal

Commercial textiles such as Decolor Stop (Eau Écarlate, France) were characterized, and their ability for adsorbing the dyes Congo red and methylene blue in an aqueous solution was investigated. The adsorption steps of equilibrium time and velocity for both dyes in textile commercial were determined. To describe adsorption mechanisms of Congo red and methylene blue, the kinetic adsorption data were treated with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order. The experimental data of isotherms adsorption were examined using the Langmuir and Freundlich models, showing more affinity of material toward Congo red. Besides, an attempt toward biological regeneration of polluted textile was undertaken by integrating a bacterial biofilm into the process. In effect, the polluted textile was therefore regenerated by yeast microbial fuel cell in which it was consumed and used as a mediator for oxidizing the organic matter available. As a result, the produced electrons were transferred from the substrate (organic matter) to the anode via the dye, giving rise to the value of generated electromotive force. Then, the bio-energy harvested from this microbial fuel cell was exploited for removal of traces of lead contained in diluted aqueous solution. Accordingly, two processes were used: microbial desalination cell and conventional electro-dialysis for comparison. Although the desalination rates of the two processes were relatively close to each other, the electro-dialysis required some energy to spend for imposing the current, while in microbial desalination cell, the biological system provided the energy for removing traces of lead.

Apatite inducing ability on silk fabric and its ammonium gas adsorptivity

Silk fabric contains silk fibroin protein which consists of an amino group. This amino group can act as a nucleation site of hydroxyapatite by inducing the Ca2+ ions from surrounding solution at an appropriate pH. To increase the initial Ca2+ ions on the surface of silk fabric, the commercial grade silk fabric was drenched in CaCl2 solution for 12 h, Na2HPO4 solution for 20 min, and CaCl2 for 20 min, respectively. Finally, the fabric was rinsed by deionized water and the drenching processes were repeated for 7 times in order to increase the inducing ability of hydroxyapatite. XRD patterns showed the phases of hydroxyapatite coexisted with monetite. The sample drenched in CaCl2 over 12 h gave more apatite peak intensity which was a result of increased Ca2+ ions over the surface and dot mapping technique with SEM showed the well distribution of both calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) on silk fabric. It is worth noting that hydroxyapatite induced on the surface of silk fabric can enhance the selectivity in ammonia gas adsorption. An ammonia gas adsorption resulted in better performance of silk with hydroxyapatite over raw silk fabric were displayed. These results are promising for development of Thai silk in term of superior ammonia gas adsorption characteristic.

Axial Alignment of Carbon Nanotubes on Fibers To Enable Highly Conductive Fabrics for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Conductive coatings show great promise for next-generation electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding challenges on textile; however, their stringent requirements for electrical conductivity are difficult to meet by conventional approaches of increasing the loading and homogeneity of conductive nanofillers. Here, the axial alignment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on fibers that were obtained by spontaneous capillary-driven self-assembly is shown on commercial cotton fabrics, and its great potential for EMI shielding is demonstrated. The aligned CNTs structurally optimize the conductive network on fabrics and yield an 81-fold increase in electrical conductivity per unit of CNT, compared with the disordered CNT microstructure. The high-efficiency electrical conductivity allows a several-micron-thick coating on insulating fabrics to endow an EMI shielding effectiveness of 21.5 dB in the X band and 20.8 dB in the Ku band, which meets the standard shielding requirement in commercial applications. It is among the minimum reported thicknesses for conductive nanocomposite coatings to date. Moreover, the coated fabrics with aligned CNTs possess a desirable stability upon bending, scratching, stripping, and even washing, which is attributed to the dense CNT packing in the aligned microarchitecture. This work presents the anisotropic structure on large areas by self-assembly, offering new opportunities for next-generation portable and wearable electronic devices.

Earthquake Risk–Management Model for Historic Commercial Urban Fabrics

AbstractHistoric urban settings, including traditional marketplaces and bazaars are highly vulnerable to earthquakes, owing to their physical conditions and socioeconomic functionality. Thus, formu...

The Effects of Artificial Incomplete Burning on the Morphology and Dimensions of Cellulosic and Proteinaceous Textiles and Fibres

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to produce reference data for the study and identification of fibres of carbonised excavated textiles. Thus, the effects of carbonisation (incomplete burning) on the morphology and dimensions of selected fibres used in textile production were investigated. A set of standard test, commercial, and hand-made fabrics, of four cellulosic (cotton, flax, hemp, nettle) and two proteinaceous (silk, wool/ wool felt) fibres, were used for the experiments. Samples were carbonised in a limited oxygen environment at 250, 350, and 500°C for one hour (apart from the wool samples for which the duration of the experiment had to be lowered to six minutes). Wool and silk samples were destroyed at temperatures above 250°C. All cellulosic and the silk samples shrank and their weight was reduced at different percentages that increased as the temperature increased. Exceptionally, wool textile samples exhibited extreme shrinkage but also an increase in their weight. Similarly, the fibre diameters of the cellulosic and silk fibres shrunk gradually at different degrees as the temperature increased, and some exhibited marked degradation patterns, like lacerations in flax, ridges in hemp, raggedness in nettle, and cracks in silk fibres. Wool fibres swell locally but retained the scale pattern on the surface. In general, an increase in the weave count of the textile samples was observed. However, the morphology of the fibres characteristic to their identification did not alter to an unrecognisable degree as a result of artificial carbonisation, as long as the material was preserved.

Roll-to roll initiated chemical vapor deposition of super hydrophobic thin films on large-scale flexible substrates

In this study, a large-scale roll-to-roll initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) system was developed to allow for coating superhydrophobic thin films on flexible substrates. Poly(hexafluorobutyl acrylate), which possesses a short fluorinated side-chain, was chosen as the hydrophobic finish material, while a commercial porous bamboo fabric was used as the flexible substrate. After iCVD coating, bamboo surface, which is superhydrophilic by its nature, transformed into a superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 156° without changing its porous and flexible structure. Similar hydrophobic properties were observed against various daily liquids. Complete coverage of as-deposited films on both sides of bamboo surfaces was observed at very high roll speeds up to 225 mm/min, which allow coatings on 20 m2 flexible substrates in a single run. Large scale contact angle and chemical uniformity of coatings on fabric surfaces were evaluated using contact angle and XPS analyses.

Airjet Textured Yarn Fabrics for Airbag: An Innovative Approach

Airbag act as safety device in vehicles, which activates when sensor detects crash or collision. Worldwide majority of airbag fabric is made of Nylon 66 yarn. The problem in airbag are repositioning of airbag, space occupied and cost. In this project attempt has been made to make airbag fabric from Nylon 66/Polyester combination airjet textured yarn to reduce the cost. Also attempt has been made to reduce fabric volume to reduce space occupied using air textured blend yarns. The 6 different type of airbag fabric has been manufactured and compared with commercially available fabric. The some of the parameters has been changed during process like Low tenacity (LT) Polyester has been replaced by High tenacity (HT) Polyester to get better properties of fabric. The fabric has been further coated to improve the air permeability and performance of the fabric. The further it has been observed that fabric properties can be match with commercial fabric. This airbag fabric can efficiently use for secondary airbags.

Study on creating the three-dimensional shape of apparel by thermal bonding of thermoplastic polyurethane film and vacuum forming molding

The shape of apparel is one of the most important elements in fashion design, for example, the three-dimensional shape of apparel can be quite creative and fashionable. The current technologies for creating the three-dimensional shape of apparel are many, but have their limitations in dealing with various fabrics, particularly light and soft fabrics. This article presents a new method to rapidly create three-dimensional shape of apparel for avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages. The method combines thermal bonding of thermoplastic polyurethane film and vacuum forming. In this study, 12 kinds of commercial fabrics were selected and then tested. All these fabrics were first bonded to thermoplastic polyurethane film and then rapidly applied to the vacuum forming machine to form the three-dimensional mold-like shape. This research analyzed the factors of molding a fabric to a good three-dimensional shape of apparel and the relative tests to be carried out for validating its stability for the selected fabric samples. There are two main contributions of this study. The first is to propose a more effective method for three-dimensional shape of apparel in fashion design. The second is to provide useful information for fabric selection and determination of bonding temperature in molding.

Commercial silk-based electronic textiles for NO2 sensing

An electronic textile (e-textile) was fabricated for use in NO2 gas sensor, using graphene oxide (GO) and commercial silk fabric (CSF) (GO-CSF). After thermal reduction at 400, 500, 600 ℃, the gas sensing property of the e-textiles (rGO-CSF) was measured for NO2. The morphology, structure, microstructure, and chemical components of the GO-CSF and rGO-CSF were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscope. Gas sensing properties were investigated by exposing rGO-CSF samples to 1, 5, and 10 ppm of NO2 gas at room temperature. The best sensing performance was shown by the rGO-CSF reduced at 400 ℃, which was attributed to the large surface area and optimum pore size. Also, performance was stable under bending.

Preparation of Electroconductive, Antibacterial, Photoactive Cotton Fabric Through Green Synthesis of ZnO/reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

In this study, a simple and environment friendly approach was used to prepare the multifunctional composite fabrics via coating ZnO/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite on the surface of cotton without any chemical reducing agent. Graphene oxide was coated on to commercial cotton fabric by dipping the fabric in graphene oxide solution and drying in an oven. The nanocomposite was synthesized on cotton fabric in a single step by reduction of zinc acetate and graphene oxide with pomegranate juice in the impregnation bath. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of ZnO/graphene nanocomposite on the fabric surface. The treated fabric had superior photocatalytic property in methylene blue degradation, and had excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Furthermore, the electrical resistance of coated fabrics was decreased significantly by the presence of reduced graphene oxide on the surface of cotton fabrics.

The effect of silica/polyurethane waterborne dispersion on the perforating features of impregnated polypropylene-based fabric

In an attempt to improve the puncturing behavior of a commercial technical textile, this study investigated the effects of fabric impregnation with waterborne polyurethane dispersions (WPUDs). The infusing solutions were prepared by mixing a commercially available WPUD with other components, such as water, hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica (SiO2) nanoparticles, and a crosslinker. Quasi-static perforation tests were performed on a dynamometer machine equipped with a spherical spike and pointed blade as piercing probes. The results showed that the polyurethane impregnation augmented the puncture performances of the treated textiles. Then, further improvements in the spike and blade strength of the impregnated fabrics were obtained by adding hydrophilic silica nanoparticles and crosslinker into WPUDs, respectively. No effect of silica functionalization (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) has been verified on the mechanical features of the respective treated samples for the tested filler contents of 3% and 5% in wt. The best fabric features (blade strength increase of +63% and puncture strength increase of +71% compared to the neat material) were obtained by combining the two additives, nano SiO2 and crosslinker, into the polyurethane. The performances of these last systems were also superior to those obtained by doubling the amount of polymeric dispersion applied to the neat materials. The discussion of the results was supported by electron scanning microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and further measurements of the cutting resistance. Finally, the mass per unit area of the substrate for the impregnated samples was measured in order to assess weight gain due to treatment.

A Hydrophobic, Self-Powered, Electromagnetic Shielding PVDF-Based Wearable Device for Human Body Monitoring and Protection.

With the rapid development of the electronics, information technology, and wearable devices, problems of the power crisis and electromagnetic radiation pollution have emerged. A piezoelectric wearable textile combined with electromagnetic shielding performance has become a favorable solution. Herein, a multifunctional PVDF-based wearable sensor with both electromagnetic shielding function and human body monitoring performance is proposed by incorporating silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrid-networks into PVDF-casted commercial nonwoven fabrics (NWF). The coordination of Ag NWs and MWCNTs networks ensures the ideal electrical conductivity and mechanical strength. The maximum shielding value of the developed sensor reaches up to 34 dB when the area densities of the Ag NWs and MWCNT are kept at 1.9 and 2.0 mg/cm2, respectively. Additionally, the hydrophobicity of the as-proposed sensor (water contact angle of ∼110.0°) ensures the self-cleaning function and makes it resistive against water and dirt. Moreover, the sensor possesses a force-sensing property by generating different piezoelectric voltages (0, 0.4, 1.0, and 1.5 V) when stimulated by various forces (0, 20, 44, and 60 N). Not only can it respond to different external stress in a timely manner (response sensitivity of ∼0.024 V/N, response time of ∼35 ms), but it can also monitor different body movements, such as joint bending, running, and jumping. This work opens up a new prospect of monitoring the human body as well as protecting human health from electromagnetic radiation surroundings.

Infrared-Radiation-Enhanced Nanofiber Membrane for Sky Radiative Cooling of the Human Body.

Extreme heat events are mainly responsible for weather-related human mortality due to climate change. However, there is a lack of outdoor thermal management for protecting people from extreme heat events. We present a novel infrared-radiation-enhanced nanofiber membrane (NFM) that has good infrared resonance absorption and selectively radiates thermal radiation of the human body through the atmosphere and into the cold outer space. The NFM comprises polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibers and randomly distributed SiO2 submicron spheres and has sufficient air permeability and thermal-moisture comfortability because of its interconnect nanopores and micropores. We measure the sky radiative cooling performance under a clear sky, and PA6/SiO2 NFM produces temperatures that are about 0.4-1.7 °C lower than those of commercial textiles when covering dry and wet hands and temperatures 1.0-2.5 °C lower than the ambient temperature when thermal conduction and convection are isolated in a closed device. Our processed PA6/SiO2 NFM combines sky radiative cooling with thermal management of the human body very well, which will promote the development of radiative cooling textiles.

Reaction Mechanism of Pt Atomic Layer Deposition on Various Textile Surfaces

The reaction mechanism of Pt atomic layer deposition (ALD) on various commercial textiles such as cotton, silk, nylon, wool, Kevlar, and Nomex was fundamentally investigated. Pt morphologies on tex...

Flexible and Highly Sensitive Humidity Sensor Based on Sandwich-Like Ag/Fe3O4 Nanowires Composite for Multiple Dynamic Monitoring.

Functional textiles with unique functions, including free cutting, embroidery and changeable shape, will be attractive for smart wear of human beings. Herein, we fabricated a sandwich-like humidity sensor made from silver coated one-dimensional magnetite nanowire (Fe3O4 NW) arrays which were in situ grown on the surface of modified polypropylene nonwoven fabric via simultaneous radiation induced graft polymerization and co-precipitation. The humidity sensor exhibits an obvious response to the relative humidity (RH) ranging from RH 11% to RH 95% and its response value reaches a maximum of 6600% (ΔI/I0) at 95% relative humidity (RH). The humidity sensor can be tailored into various shapes and embroidered on its surface without affecting its functionalities. More interesting, the intensity of its response is proportional to the size of the material. These features permit the sensor to be integrated into commercial textiles or a gas mask to accurately monitor a variety of important human activities including respiration, blowing, speaking and perspiration. Moreover, it also can distinguish different human physical conditions by recognizing respiration response patterns. The sandwich-like sensor can be readily integrated with textiles to fabricate promising smart electronics for human healthcare.

Sonochemical Functionalization of Cotton and Non‐Woven Fabrics with Bio‐Inspired Self‐Assembled Nanostructures

AbstractCotton and non‐woven fabrics are commonly used for medical applications such as wound dressing. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing functionalized fabrics that allow the sustained release of active molecules for large‐scale production. However, several limitations of currently used technologies restrict the ability to form durable fabrics with functional coatings. Herein, using a sonochemical process, we successfully deposited diphenylalanine (FF) peptide nanotubes on cotton and non‐woven fabrics. FF peptide nanotubes were loaded with curcumin, an antimicrobial and anti‐inflammatory agent. The structure of the fabric decorated with nanotubes was studied by electron microscopy, and the sustained release of curcumin was demonstrated using absorbance measurements. Sonication duration was positively correlated with the deposition of the nanotubes onto the fabrics’ fibers as well as the retention of the curcumin within the FF nanotubes. These results suggest that the sonochemical process may be used for large‐scale fabrication of functionalized commercial fabrics.