Fine Fibers Research Articles

Constructing spherical-beads-on-string structure of electrospun membrane to achieve high vapor flux in membrane distillation

Hydrophobic membranes with a reentrant-like structure have shown high hydrophobicity and high anti-wetting properties in membrane distillation (MD). Here, PVDF spherical-beads-on-string (SBS) fibers were electrospun on nonwoven fabric and used in the MD process. Such a reentrant-like structure was featured with fine fibers, a low ratio of bead length to bead diameter, and high bead frequency. It was revealed that the SBS-structured membranes exhibited an exceptional capability for vapor flux, due to the formation of a network of more interconnected macropores than that of fibers and fusiform-beads-on-string structures, ensuring unimpeded vapor diffusion. In the desalination of formulated seawater (3.5 wt.% NaCl solution), a vapor flux of 61 ± 3 kg m−2 h−1 with a salt rejection of >99.98 % was achieved at a feed temperature of 60 °C. Furthermore, this SBS structured membrane showed satisfactory seawater desalination performance with a stable flux of 40 kg m−2 h−1 over a 27 h MD process. These findings suggest a viable approach for fabricating SBS-structured membranes that significantly enhance vapor flux in MD for desalination applications. Besides, the hydrophobic membranes with SBS structure can be prepared by single-step electrospinning, and it is facile to scale-up manufacture. This strategy holds promise for advancing the development of high-performance MD membranes tailored for efficient seawater desalination processes.

Modulating Polyalanine Motifs of Synthetic Spidroin for Controllable Preassembly and Strong Fiber Formation.

Spider dragline (major ampullate) silk is one of the toughest known fibers in nature and exhibits an excellent combination of high tensile strength and elasticity. Increasing evidence has indicated that preassembly plays a crucial role in facilitating the proper assembly of silk fibers by bridging the mesoscale gap between spidroin molecules and the final strong fibers. However, it remains challenging to control the preassembly of spidroins and investigate its influence on fiber structural and mechanical properties. In this study, we explored to bridge this gap by modulating the polyalanine (polyA) motifs in repetitive region of spidroins to tune their preassemblies in aqueous dope solutions. Three biomimetic silk proteins with varying numbers of alanine residues in polyA motif and comparable molecular weights were designed and biosynthesized, termed as N16C-5A, N15C-8A, and N13C-12A, respectively. It was found that all three proteins could form nanofibril assemblies in the concentrated aqueous dopes, but the size and structural stability of the fibrils were distinct from each other. The silk protein N15C-8A with 8 alanine residues in polyA motif allowed for the formation of stable nanofibril assemblies with a length of approximately 200 nm, which were not prone to disassemble or aggregate as that of N16C-5A and N13C-12A. More interestingly, the stable fibril assembly of N15C-8A enabled spinning of simultaneously strong (623.3 MPa) and tough (107.1 MJ m-3) synthetic fibers with fine molecular orientation and close interface packing of fibril bundles. This work highlights that modulation of polyA motifs is a feasible way to tune the morphology and stability of the spidroin preassemblies in dope solutions, thus controlling the structural and mechanical properties of the resulting fibers.

Correlation of microstructure with thermal and tensile creep properties of novel Sn-5Sb-0.5Cu alloy reinforced with Co particles for soldering applications

The present research examined how cobalt microalloying additions of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 weight percent affected the microstructural properties, thermal features, and tensile creep characteristics of eutectic Sn-5 wt% Sb- 0.5 wt% Cu (SSC) lead-free solder alloy. According to the results, cobalt additions of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 wt% did not affect SbSn phase but significantly refined β-Sn grains, facilitating the formation of fine fibers (Cu,Co)6Sn5 together with plate-like CoSn3 phases, and preventing the formation of Cu6Sn5 phases. Furthermore, a large amount of cobalt (1 wt%) addition accumulated in the coarsening of the CoSn3 phase. Additions of 0.25 wt% Co, 0.75 wt% Co, and 1 wt% Co did not affect the melting temperatures, but pasty ranges had been slightly lowered, which may enhance the thermal characteristics. Addition of 0.5 wt% Co had unfavorable effects on both melting point and pasty range. This has significant effects on solder reliability and electronic service performance. In terms of creep behavior, the SSC-0.75 wt% Co specimens displayed the highest creep resistance because of the fine dispersion of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and extended the creep-rupture life to a level that is 3.0 times greater than the SSC baseline. Lower creep resistance was observed in SSC-0.25 wt% Co specimens, which was mostly due to the smaller volume fraction of the precipitate phases and the absence of the CoSn3 phase. Depending on the determined stress exponents and activation energies, it is suggested that the dominant deformation mechanism in SSC-xCo solders is the dislocation climb controlled by short-circuit pipe diffusion across the whole temperature range that was examined.

Thermal Performance Analysis of a Rectangular Finned Heat Sink under Dust Deposition

This study investigated the effect of dust deposition on the fin surfaces of a rectangular finned heat sink for natural convection. Therefore, experimental analysis was carried out on two cases, i.e., under fine dust and fiber dust conditions. The experiment was conducted inside a closed duct on the heat sink consisting of 17 fins. After analyzing the data and variation of temperature values at various positions of the fin surfaces, it was observed that the fine dust accumulation had a negligible effect on the thermal performance. However, fiber dust accumulation had a significant effect on the thermal performance. Moreover, the obtained values of Nusselt number were 26.68, 26.21, and 23.75 for natural convection under no dust, fine dust, and fiber dust conditions, respectively. Hence, the amount of heat dissipated by natural convection was minimal under fiber dust conditions.

تأثير الرش بمضادات النتح على النمو، الانتاجية وصفات الجودة للقطن المصري تحت ظروف الاجهاد المائي للأراضي الطينية

Two field experiments were conducted at Sakha, Agricultural Research Station, Egypt in two growing seasons during 2021 and 2022 seasons, to study the effect of three irrigation intervals (every 15, 30 and 45 days) and four foliar application with some anti-transpirants (without , linseed Oil (7%), Pure Gylatine (1.5 %) Magnesium Carbonate for dusting (250 g / plot), Potassium Silicate (3cm3 K2SiO3 / liter) on the growth, productivity, quality of Egyptian cotton plants (Super Giza 94 cultivar) and some water relations .The experiment was designed by using split plot design with three replicates. The results showed that, irrigation cotton plants every 30 days significantly increased leaf water content%, chlorophyll (a) in the second season, chlorophyll (b), number of open bolls / plant, earliness % in the second season, seed cotton yield, boll weight, seed index all in the two growing seasons compared with other two irrigation intervals. On the other hand, irrigation every 15 days was more effective on plant height, number of fruiting branches per plant in both seasons, fineness in the first season, fiber length in the second season and fiber strength in the two seasons. Foliar application of anti- transpirants significantly increased in the most studied characters, leaf water content%, chlorophyll a and b , plant height, number of fruiting branches, number of open bolls, earliness %, seed cotton yield, boll weight , seed index , fiber fineness , fiber strength and fiber length except fiber uniformity which was not affected in the two seasons as compared with the control in the two seasons. The highest values were obtained from potassium silicate compared with other anti- traspirants. Concerning the interaction effect between irrigation interval and anti-transpirants , the data indicated that the application of Potassium Silicate and irrigation cotton plants every 30 days produced the highest significant increase in leaf water content %, chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b , number of fruiting branches ,seed cotton yield and earliness % in the first and second season.

Development of hybrid green composites by dual natural fibers (jute/bamboo) reinforcement and investigation of their mechanical behavior

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of natural fiber hybrid composites, specifically those based on jute and bamboo fibers. Jute fibers made in the form of highly scattered mesh and fine‐meshed bamboo mat were selected as reinforcing materials. The highly scattered meshed jute fabric composite showed poor mechanical properties owing to resin agglomeration, leading to the brittle fracture of the composite before elongation. In contrast, the randomly oriented fine‐meshed bamboo fabric performed better in terms of both mechanical properties and strain energy absorption under the same loading conditions. Hybridization with fine bamboo mesh fibers can be a solution to improve the mechanical properties of jute fabric composites. The tensile, flexural, and in‐plane shear properties of the composites are investigated in our study. We found that hybridizing a fine‐meshed bamboo mat with jute fabric resulted in an improved mechanical performance of the composite. Composite panels have been manufactured using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Experimental and numerical methods have been used to investigate the flexural behavior. Of the stacking sequences considered, the (J/B4/J) stacking showed the highest flexural strength (141.1 Mpa) and the (B2/J2/B2) 2/2 stacking sequence showed the minimum flexural strength. The alternating stacking sequence (B/J/B/J/B/J) exhibited intermediate properties. The randomly oriented bamboo fabric near the neutral axis enhanced the properties of the hybridized composite. This was verified numerically using the ANSYS ACP software.Highlights Mechanical behavior of Hybrid composite of two natural fibers was investigated. Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding was used to manufacture composite panels. Tensile, in plane shear, 3 point flexural tests and SEM micro analysis were done. FEA was used to validate and compare the experimental and numerical results. Resin agglomeration was improved by fibers with better resin impregnation property.

Modern developments in burn wound dressing

Purpose Intense interest has been shown in creating new and effective biocide agents as a result of changes in bacterial isolates, bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics, an increase in patients with burns and wounds and the difficulty of treating infections and antimicrobial resistance. Woven, nonwoven and knitted materials are used to make dressings; however, nonwoven dressings are becoming more popular because of their softness and high absorption capacity. Additionally, textiles have excellent geometrical, physical and mechanical features including three-dimensional structure availability, air, vapor and liquid permeability, strength, extensibility, flexibility and diversity of fiber length, fineness and cross-sectional shapes. It is necessary to treat every burn according to international protocol and along with it has to focus on particular problems of patients and the best possible results. Design/methodology/approach The objective of this paper is to conduct a thorough examination of research pertaining to the utilization of textiles, as well as alternative materials and innovative techniques, in the context of burn wound dressings. Through a critical analysis of the findings, this study intends to provide valuable insights that can inform and guide future research endeavors in this field. Findings In the past years, there have been several dressings such as xeroform petrolatum gauze, silver-impregnated dressings, biological dressings, hydrocolloid dressings, polyurethane film dressings, silicon-coated nylon dressings, dressings for biosynthetic skin substitutes, hydrogel dressings, newly developed dressings, scaffold bandages, Sorbalgon wound dressing, negative pressure therapy, enzymatic debridement and high-pressure water irrigation developed for the fast healing of burn wounds. Originality/value This research conducts a thorough analysis of the role of textiles in modern burn wound dressings.

A Comparison of the Physical Properties Between Merino Wool and Camel Hair Through Discriminant Analysis

ABSTRACT The applicability of camel hair is still conditioned by a gap in the knowledge about this raw material, which in turn hinders its supply chain, commercial possibilities, and the value that the product reaches in the market. The present research compares the physical-mechanical properties of Canarian camel hair versus Merino sheep wool, the world’s most popular proteinic fabric material, using a discriminant canonical analysis. The attributes that maximized differences between both types of animal-origin fibers were related to average fiber diameter, fineness, length staple, and residual dirt. Although slightly shorter than sheep wool, camel hair can reach a prominent fabric quality and spinning performance given its greater average diameter and its lower variation within small fragments along the snippet, as well as the higher distance from the tip to the finest point in the staple, which is an indicator for the breaking point. Such characteristics are known to increase bending rigidity during the manufacturing process. Residual dirt may be associated with the low-input, extensive exploitation of camels. The present paper provides a reference for maturing pre-process and manufacture techniques for the further valorization of camel hair in the present-day textile industry and, thus, engages income opportunities for this livestock production.

The fabrication method impacts biological properties of microfibrous three-dimensional in vitro cell culture scaffolds and their applications in drug screening

Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models cannot accurately emulate the three-dimensional (3D) in vivo microenvironment; hence, the shift from compound screening in traditional 2D well plates to 3D cell culture models is forthcoming. New scaffold designs must comply with the 3Rs principle to reduce the use of animal-derived products, such as natural proteins. In line with this motivation, we engineered and compared various fibrous scaffolds featuring diverse fibre networks (coarse and fine fibres) and fibre surface properties (porous vs. smooth fibres), and tested them in in vitro cell culture. We fabricated coarse solid fibre scaffolds via a melt-based electrohydrodynamic process, which resulted in fibres with a diameter of 10.6 ± 1.9 µm and a porosity of 87.1 ± 0.9%. Using solution-based cryo-electrohydrodynamic process, we fabricated fine porous fibre and fine solid fibre scaffolds that exhibited fibres of 2.01 ± 0.5 µm and 1.72 ± 0.6 µm in diameter, with porosities of 96.5 ± 0.3% and 94.4 ± 0.5%, respectively. The scaffolds underwent only chemical modification via an alkaline treatment to enhance their hydrophilicity. We used mouse fibroblast L929 cells and human triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells as cell models, and used the MTT assay to measure their viability. After seven days of cell culture, all scaffolds were thoroughly penetrated. However, the coarse scaffolds created by the melt-based electrohydrodynamic process and the porous fibre scaffolds produced by the solution-based cryo-electrohydrodynamic process outperformed the simpler morphology of smooth fine fibres. Furthermore, the 50% half-maximum effective concentration (EC50) of doxorubicin tested in human glioblastoma (U87-MG) and human triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines in 3D cell culture models was approximately twice as high as that achieved in conventional 2D cell cultures. Therefore, we infer that poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) microfibre scaffolds, devoid of animal-derived product surface treatment, may provide a favourable 3D milieu for various cell types for in vitro studies.

Styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) melt-blown fibers for oil spill remediation and oil barrier geotextiles

The distinctive oil gelation characteristics of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) thermoplastic elastomers were utilized for successful oil spill remediation with a range of different oils. Porous non-woven SEBS mat was fabricated via melt blown processing using a twin-screw extruder with customized blow die. After conducting rotational and capillary rheology investigations, a heightened melt-blowing temperature (300 °C) was applied to achieve an elevated melt flow index of SEBS for the melt-blowing process. Under optimized blowing parameters, a non-woven fabric was obtained consisting of fine fibers featuring an average fiber diameter of 20 μm. The material and oil absorption properties of the engineered SEBS fabric were compared to polypropylene (PP) nonwovens, a widely used material for oil spill mitigation that relies solely on adsorption and capillary forces to separate and immobilize spilled oil. SEBS nonwovens exhibited outstanding absorption and gelation properties for both crude petroleum and mineral transformer oil. Notably, SEBS demonstrated the ability to immobilize oil even under head pressure and at saturation, surpassing the capabilities of PP nonwovens (average fiber diameter 12 μm). This showcases a more efficient and cleaner method for remediating oil spills by effectively separating oil from water through absorption.

A study on dehairing of vicuña fiber: evaluation of yields and quality characteristics that impact on its transformation and textile added value

Dehairing is a key process in the textile transformation of double-coated animal fibers such as vicuña fleeces. The process consists in the mechanical separation of the coarse fibers (and additionally other foreign particles) from the fine fibers of high textile value. In Argentina, the degree of mastery of the techniques and capabilities required for the efficient processing of vicuña fiber is still unclear. This paper reports study results on the vicuña fiber dehairing process by applying the protocol currently used in a mill. The yield, diameter, and content of coarse and fine fiber fractions, and fiber lengths before and after dehairing were compared. The results indicate that the separation efficiency of fine fibers from the initial raw material was high, whereas that in the by-products was low. The dehairing process reduced the fiber length considerably and the coarse fiber content by 50%, leading to a comfort factor of 99%.

Investigation and application of different extraction techniques for the production of finer bamboo fibres

Bamboos are an important source of fibres. Natural bamboo fibres possess have characteristics that make them of potential use in textiles. However, they have not received the attention they deserve due to the difficulty of extracting finer fibres. Full utilization of the potential of bamboo requires the extraction of the fibres using advanced techniques. In this study, three different extraction methods were developed, utilizing a newly created composite enzyme and alkalis in combination to extract finer natural bamboo fibres. The new enzyme was applied in both a solid form and a liquid state. Mechanical processes were also employed in preparing the bamboo culms and extracting the fibres. Three commonly grown bamboo species, Bambusa emeiensis (Neosinocalamus affinis), Phyllostachys edulis (Phyllostachys heterocycla), and Phyllostachys reticulata (Phyllostachys bambusoides), were used in the study to extract natural bamboo fibres. The bamboo samples were treated with 3–6% alkali and 24–36% composite enzyme, based on their weight. The composite enzyme was a recently developed enzyme that was used in both a liquid form and a solid form without the need for water as a solvent (non-aqueous treatment). The physical properties such as moisture content, length and fineness, and mechanical (tensile) properties such as breaking tenacity, breaking load and breaking extension of the resulting fibres were assessed with their minimum, maximum and average values. Structural analyses were performed using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analyzer (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The yield percentages of bamboo fibres were also determined. The bamboo fibres had a moisture content of 7.32–7.71%, an average length of 5.48–6.01 cm, a linear density of 9.71–11.43 tex, a breaking load of 138.96–147.67 cN, a breaking tenacity of 12.16–15.21 cN/tex, and a breaking elongation of 2.60–2.75%. SEM, TGA and FTIR tests indicated that the fibres were not single cellulosic fibres but rather fibre bundles in which single fibres were bonded by lignin and hemicellulose. The TGA results showed that the fibres were sufficiently thermally stable to withstand high temperature textile processes. The XRD results indicated the improvement of the crystallinity of the natural bamboo fibres owing to the partial removal of the non-crystalline lignin and other components. The measured properties of the fibres showed standard deviation values of 0.36–2.52, indicating a high level of uniformity within each sample. The experimental results demonstrated that the fibres obtained in this study have the potential to be used in textiles. The fibre yield percentages (approximately 52.7–55.2%) confirmed that all three bamboo species have the potential to provide usable fibres.

Making fibers from cellulose derivatives by pressurized gyration and electrospinning

Cellulose derivatives are obtained from renewable sources, making them an environmentally friendly option in many industrial applications. Manufacturing fine cellulose fibers is confronted with multifaceted challenges due to cellulose's intricate nature, such as its highly organized structure and hydrogen bonding chain. In this study, for the first time, fibers in the nanometer to micrometer scale diameter from cellulose derivatives were successfully produced without the assistance of polymer precursors using the pressurized gyration (PG) technique. The cellulose derivatives investigated in this work were ethyl cellulose (EC) and cellulose acetate (CA), representing the ether and ester cellulose derivatives, respectively. Electrospinning (ES) technique was also used to compare the fibers produced by this technique with those produced by PG. Both PG and nozzle-PG succeeded in producing EC-based fibers with diameters ranging from 488 to 825 nm, with a higher production rate than ES. In contrast, ES succeeded in producing bead-free fibers from EC and CA with a wide range of solvent systems and concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the fiber morphology, diameter distribution, and alignment. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry were used to compare the physicochemical nature of the fibers produced by PG and ES. These tests revealed that the fibers produced from the two spinning methods had identical physicochemical structures and properties. With further research and development efforts, PG has the potential to be a promising technique for producing cellulose derivative-based fibers with a high production rate, which could be employed for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound dressing.

Parameters influencing electrospun nanofiber diameter of polylactide incorporated with cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals

The main purpose of this study was to investigate effects of various electrospinning parameters on the morphology and diameter of cellulose nanofibril (CNF) filled polylactide (PLA) nanofibers. For this purpose, first of all effects of three important electrospinning parameters; polymer solution concentration, solution feeding rate and collector distance to feeding tip were studied. Then, effects of using higher amount of CNF, effects of using cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) particles, and effects of adding potassium chloride salt were also investigated. It was observed that when optimum electrospinning parameters were determined, then it was possible to obtain almost “bead-free” morphology and “finest” average diameter of 232 nm for PLA/CNF electrospun fibers. Increasing values of feeding rate and collector distance parameters resulted in bead formation and thicker diameters. On the other hand, increasing CNF amount, using CNC particles and adding KCl salt, all resulted in further decreases in the diameter down to 152 nm; mainly due to increased charge density of the polymer solution. Moreover, in vitro degradation analysis of all types of electrospun nanofiber mats in a simulated body fluid revealed that increasing the immersion period increased their degradation rate in terms of “% weight loss”. It was also observed that, mats with fine diameter fibers had higher degradation rate.

BREEDING FOR HIGHER FIBRE QUALITY TRAITS IN UPLAND COTTON THROUGH LINE × TESTER ANALYSIS

The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications at Shah Abdul Latif Experimental Farm, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. Employing a line × tester mating design in upland cotton (Gossypium hirutum L.), twenty-one cross combinations were obtained from seven females and three males. F1 and F2 generations, along with their parents, were sown in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2012-13 and 2013-14. Studied traits included lint yield (g) per plant, G.O.T (%), staple length (mm), fiber fineness (mic.value), and fiber strength (g/tex). Throughout the growing period, recommended cultural practices were followed. Analysis of variance revealed high significance for genotypes, parents, crosses, and their interactions (P×C) for all traits. In the F1 generation, lint yield and staple length under line × tester (L×T) were highly significant. For the F2 generation, genotypes, parents, crosses, and P×C were highly significant for all traits except G.O.T%, where lines, testers, and L×T were highly significant for all traits except G.O.T%. Cross VH-292 × VH-291 excelled in lint yield per plant, while CRIS-342 × IR-3701 demonstrated superior fiber fineness and strength. VH-292 × VH-291 also displayed higher lint yield per plant, while CRIS-342 × FH-113 exhibited longer staple length with increased fiber fineness. Significant mean squares for genotypes (parents, crosses, and parents × crosses) indicate the data's utility for assessing parental performance, hybrid evaluation, heterotic effects, and inbreeding depression.

Study on the tensile and compressive mechanical properties of multi-scale fiber-reinforced concrete: Laboratory test and mesoscopic numerical simulation

To investigate the tensile and compressive mechanical properties of multi-scale polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete (PFRC), two-dimensional microscopic finite element models of PFRC were established, and their reliability was verified using laboratory test results. The failure development process and tensile and compressive behaviors of multi-scale PFRC were simulated. In addition, the influence of the length and dosage of polypropylene fibers (PFs) on the mechanical properties of concrete was investigated using mesoscopic numerical simulations. The numerical models established in this study fill the gap in existing research by revealing both the distribution of multi-scale PFs and the true shape of the aggregates. The results predicted by the proposed numerical models were in good agreement with the experimental results. Moreover, the ideal PF length was 30 or 40 mm, and the optimum fiber dosages of two fine polypropylene fibers (FPF1, FPF2) and coarse polypropylene fiber (CPF) were 0.6 kg/m³, 0.6 kg/m³, and 4.8 kg/m³, respectively. This study reveals the influence of parameters such as the length and dosage of multi-scale PFs on the mechanical properties of concrete, providing a reference for engineering applications.

Performance of Some Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Genotypes for Agronomical and Within-Boll Yield Characters

Evaluating the cultivars' performance is an important step in the cotton breeding process. Therefore, we tested the yield, fiber quality and within-boll yield components of genotypes, and associations among observed characters were estimated. Ten cotton genotypes inc., Bomba, Özbek 100, Ramses, May 455, Bir 949, Fiona, Şahin 2000, Sahra, Sasha and Eva, were planted in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications in 2022. The highest seed cotton yield was recorded in Sasha and Bomba genotypes. Ramses performed the higher ginning out-turn (47.70%) and favorable fiber fineness (4.62 mic.). Bir 949 (32.65 mm), Ramses (31.49 mm) and Sasha (31.31 mm) for fiber length; Sasha (35.18 g tex-1) and Sahra (34.08 g tex-1) for fiber strength exhibited desirable performances. The highest relative leaf water content (%) as a drought indicator was recorded in Ramses (67.79), Fiona (67.45), Şahin 2000 (65.25) and Bomba (65.11). The number of fibers per seed ranged from 10.82 thousand (Özbek 100) to 13.00 thousand (Bir 949). It was concluded that it seemed difficult to associate the seed cotton yield, fiber quality and relative leaf water content. Therefore, the genotypes in which all three traits are optimized should be emphasized.

Conversion of sugarcane biomass into sustainable fabrics: softening of fibers using alkali and silicone softener treatment

This study addresses environmental concerns related to sugarcane biomass as an industrial fuel source by exploring its potential for textile applications. Bagasse undergoes sequential alkali-H2O2 treatment, followed by varying concentrations of silicone softener (50 g l−1 − 100 g l−1 − 150g l−1). The goal is to enhance fiber fineness and softness. Comprehensive physical and chemical characterization reveals significant alterations in treated fibers, impacting surface morphology, crystallinity, linear density, and moisture regain. Results indicate a decline in fiber linear density from 59.47tex to 48.84tex, thus improved fineness, moisture regain initial from 6.9% to 4.7%, reduced crystallinity, and enhanced mechanical strength with silicone softener treatment. Treated fibers show promise as a sustainable alternative to conventional cotton, emphasizing the importance of sugarcane biomass for eco-friendly textile manufacturing.

An analysis of lncRNAs related to fiber quality and the discovery of their target genes in a Gossypium hirsutum line with Gossypium mustelinum introgression.

Analysis of fiber quality lncRNAs and their target genes from a pair of Gossypium mustelinum near-isogenic lines provide new prospects for improving the fiber quality of Upland cotton. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important part of genome transcription and play roles in a wide range of biological processes in plants. In this research, a pair of near-isogenic cotton lines, namely, a Gossypium mustelinum introgression line (IL9) with outstanding fiber quality and its recurrent Upland cotton parent (PD94042), were used as the experimental materials. Cotton fibers were selected for lncRNA sequencing at 17 and 21days post-anthesis. A total of 2693 differentially expressed genes were identified. In total, 5841 lncRNAs were ultimately screened, from which 163 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified. Target genes of the lncRNAs were predicted by two different methods: cis and trans. Some of the target genes were related to cell components, membrane components, plant hormone signal transduction and catalytic metabolism, and the results indicated that there might also be important effects on the development of fiber. Four differentially expressed target genes related to fiber quality (Gomus.D05G015100, Gomus.A05G281300, Gomus.A12G023400 and Gomus.A10G226800) were screened through gene function annotation, and the functions of these four genes were verified through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Compared to the negative controls, plants in which any of these four genes were silenced showed significant reductions in fiber strength. In addition, the plants in which the Gomus.A12G023400 gene was silenced showed a significant reduction in fiber uniformity, whereas the plants in which Gomus.A05G281300 was silenced showed a significant increase in fiber fineness as measured via micronaire. Our results showed that these genes play different roles during fiber development, impacting fiber quality.

Comprehensive Analysis of Cotton Fiber Infrared Maturity Distribution and Its Relation to Fiber HVI and AFIS Properties

Cotton fiber maturity has been reported as average maturity and maturity distribution in a sample, through measuring the fibers in the way of either an individual fiber cross-section or a longitude of several subsamples by cross-sectional image analysis (IA), advanced fiber information system (AFIS), and Cottonscope method. As a different approach, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy was proposed to estimate fiber maturity (MIR) and maturity distribution at a bundle fiber level on the basis of three MIR (low-, mid-, and high) classifications. Although maturity distributions from IA, AFIS, or Cottonscope measurement are reported, they are not related with high-volume instrument (HVI) and AFIS qualities considerably. Novelty of this study examined the effect of individual three MIR indices and additional MIR differentials on HVI and AFIS qualities in commercial cotton fibers. There were statistically significant and moderate-to-strong correlations between the MIR indices and fiber maturity and fineness measurements, and also moderate correlations between the MIR indices and other fiber qualities (for example, HVI strength). In particular, there was a moderate correlation between MIR readings and one fiber length parameter [AFIS L(n)] or two short fiber content (SFC) properties [AFIS SFC(w) and AFIS SFC(n)]. Meanwhile, MIR differential (D3) was observed to be correlated with HVI strength significantly and strongly. The result indicated the capability of ATR FT-IR spectroscopy for monitoring fiber maturity distribution in commercial cotton fibers and further in understanding fiber quality measurement.