Poly Ethylene Terephthalate Fibers Research Articles

Comprehensive investigation of recycled PVC powder.

This study constitutes a comprehensive investigation centred on comprehending the behaviour and characteristics of recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) powders. The overarching objective is to successfully conclude the initial research phase, during which PVC-coated fabric offcuts undergo a transformation into PVC powder while achieving complete separation from polyethylene terephthalate fibres. The study entails a qualitative description of the morphology of PVC powder particles, employing an optical microscope to distinguish the diverse shapes exhibited by these particles. The optical microscope observations of PVC powder reveal a distinct array of non-spherical particles characterized by flat, elongated shapes. These high-magnification images unveil the intricate morphological features of the particles, highlighting their irregular shapes. Subsequently, a quantitative analysis of PVC particle size distribution is performed, comparing results from optical microscopy with those obtained through mechanical sieving. The qualitative and quantitative findings obtained provide robust evidence supporting the correlation and confirm that most particles are smaller than 600 µm (93.6%) using an optical microscope and the sieving process (96.39%). The greatest fraction (83.44%) is in the size range between 200 and 600 µm. Assessing flowability, another significant aspect in the evaluation of powders, provides insights into its behaviour and interparticle interactions. The flowability results indicate a Compressibility Index of approximately 26.84%, which suggests poor flowability. This means that the powder is likely to encounter difficulties in flowing freely. This finding is in line with the Hausner ratio, which measures 1.37. This investigation of recycled PVC powder will offer insights into the potential applications and processing considerations of this powder. More concretely, the use of recycled PVC powder shows promise as a viable alternative to conventional PVC resin in plastisol formulations, offering the potential to maintain the properties of the final PVC product without adverse effects.

Dynamic compressive behaviors of polyethylene terephthalate fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete

AbstractPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers are green, environmentally friendly materials. They mainly come from recycled plastic bottles and other products. The addition of PET fibers to recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has the potential to reduce concrete damage and increase specimen toughness. In this study, the influences of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) replacement ratio and fiber volume ratio on the impact response of PET fiber reinforced RAC at various strain rates were experimentally investigated. It was found that the compressive strength, critical strain, and toughness grew with the increasing strain rate, followed by the aggravation of the concrete damage. Owing to the strain rate effect, the failure mode of concrete specimen at a high strain rate was different from that under a quasi‐static loading. This led to the reduction of differences in the dynamic compressive strength between the natural and recycled aggregate concrete at a high strain rate. Although the replacement of natural coarse aggregates with RCAs resulted in the decrease in the dynamic compressive strength, it increased the critical strain of the specimen. To reduce the brittleness of concrete materials, flexible fibers, PET fibers were added into the concrete matrix. It was found that the addition of PET fibers increased the critical strain and significantly reduced concrete damage. The empirical equations were proposed to describe the rate‐dependent dynamic compressive strength, critical strain, and toughness based on experimental data.

Strontium-Doped Hydroxyapatite Coating Improves Osteo/Angiogenesis for Ameliorative Graft-Bone Integration via the Macrophage-Derived Cytokines-Mediated Integrin Signal Pathway.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) artificial ligaments, renowned for their superior mechanical properties, have been extensively adopted in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgeries. However, the inherent bio-inertness of PET introduces formidable barriers to graft-bone integration, a critical aspect of rehabilitation. Previous interventions, ranging from surface roughening to chemical modifications, have aimed to address this challenge; however, consistently effective techniques for inducing graft-bone integration remain scarce. Our study employed advanced surface-coating methodologies to introduce strontium-doped hydroxyapatite (SrHA) onto PET ligaments. Detailed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations revealed a uniform and integrative coating of SrHA on PET fibers. Furthermore, spectroscopic analysis confirmed the steady release of strontium ions from the coated surface under physiological conditions. In-depth cellular studies proved that extracellular strontium emanating from SrHA-coated PET (PET@SrHA) ligaments actively steers the M2 macrophage polarization. Additionally, macrophages (Mφs) manifested a heightened secretion of prohealing cytokines when exposed to PET@SrHA. Subsequent investigations showed that these cytokines acted as mediators, activating integrin signaling pathways among macrophages, vascular endothelial cells, and osteoblasts. As a direct consequence, an increased rate of angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation was observed, vital for graft-bone integration following ACL reconstruction with PET@SrHA ligaments. From a biochemical standpoint, our results pinpoint strontium ions as influential immunomodulators, sculpting the graft-bone interface's immune environment. This insight presents the SrHA-coating technique as a viable therapeutic strategy, holding sound promise for improving angiogenesis and osseointegration outcomes during ACL reconstruction using PET-based grafts.

Statistical analysis using the RSM approach of the physical behavior of green polymerized eco-mortar

In order to develop an innovative, environmentally friendly composite materials for the construction industry, this study aims to exploit three types of waste material to manufacture cement mortars for producing lightweight concretes, ecologically friendly paving slabs and pavers. For this purpose, the response surface methodology (RSM) was investigated to predict and optimize the physical properties of mortars made from dune sand (DS) combined with recycled sand (RS), which are abundant in the desert and considered as waste products, reinforced by polymerized polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers of two different lengths, 20 mm and 30 mm, respectively. This investigation was carried out to assess the material's capacity in terms of engineering criteria, including air content in the fresh state (Ac), shrinkage (Sh), flexural displacement (Yf), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and water absorption (WA). Further, the chemical composition and mineralogical transformations at high temperatures of the produced mortar were examined. The ANOVA analysis of variance and a desirability function (DF) test are developed based on the Box-Behnken Design to predict and optimize variables and output responses by maximizing the mechanical properties and minimizing the physical properties. The obtained results reveal a significant improvement in the physical properties of the mortars, 6.25% Sh, 43% Yf, 4.65% UPV, and 6.54% WA, confirming the beneficial effect of fiber-reinforced products compared with those without fibers. The proposed quadratic model proves the validity of the experimental results with a better accuracy of less than 4.5% error. The optimal formulation obtained in this protocol consisted of 50% DS, 50% RS, and 2% PET, with a length of 12.70 mm. This mix yielded 0.799% Ac, −95.28 μm/m Sh, 5.79 mm Yf, 3855.11 m/s UPV, and 11.91% WA, presenting an attractive option for applications in eco-construction sustainability. Therefore, The RSM model correlates well with the experimental data, which has contributed to an improvement in the physical-mechanical features. Consequently, this eco-mortar has several applications in buildings, roads, bridges, for bending elements (beams, slabs) and can also be used for repairing damaged structures.

Towards the Improvement of the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Braided Ligament for ACL Reconstruction: A "Carrot and Stick" Strategy.

Bone tunnel enlargement has been troubling the clinical adoption of braided artificial ligaments for decades, to which mechanical and tribological performance promotion shall be an effective and promising approach. Herein, a "carrot and stick" strategy has been introduced with two types of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers to fabricate hybrid textures, which is expected to advance fatigue and tribological performance without yielding essential mechanical strength and biocompatibility. Owing to advancements in such a "carrot and stick" strategy, the obtained grafts present three promising properties: i) enhancement of mechanical strength; ii) COF reduction of 25% at the greatest extent, thus lowering the risk of bone tunnel enlargement; iii) final displacement shrinkage of graft length after cyclic loadings, favored in the clinic for isometric reconstruction. The results obtained in this study show that the "carrot and stick" strategy can be a creative and convenient method to optimize the service life, saving the complication rate of artificial ligaments for clinical applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

5G NB-IoT System Integrated with High-Performance Fiber Sensor Inspired by Cirrus and Spider Structures.

Real-time telemedicine detection can solve the problem of the shortage of public medical resources caused by the coming aging society. However, the development of such an integrated monitoring system is hampered by the need for high-performance sensors and the strict-requirement of long-distance signal transmission and reproduction. Here, a bionic crack-spring fiber sensor (CSFS) inspired by spider leg and cirrus whiskers for stretchable and weavable electronics is reported. Trans-scale conductive percolation networks of multilayer graphene around the surface of outer spring-like Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and printing Ag enable a high sensitivity of 28475.6 and broad sensing range over 250%. The electromechanical changes in different stretching stages are simulated by Comsol to explain the response mechanism. The CSFS is incorporated into the fabric and realized the human-machine interactions (HMIs) for robot control. Furthermore, the 5G Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system is developed for human healthcare data collection, transmission, and reproduction together with the integration of the CSFS, illustrating the huge potential of the approach in human-machine communication interfaces and intelligent telemedicine rehabilitation and diagnosis monitoring.

A statistical-experimental study to investigate the optimal parameters of fibres made from waste PET bottles for strengthening concrete

This research investigated using waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle fibres in concrete. Experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of PET fibre-strengthened concrete. The effects of the fibre volume fraction and fibre length were studied to obtain optimal values. Moreover, a thorough statistical analysis was performed to identify the parameter that impacts the inclusion of PET fibres in concrete. Furthermore, the study explored the effect of PET fibres on reinforced concrete beams of shear failure mode. The results showed that incorporating PET fibres significantly enhances the ductility of the concrete material and reduces shrinkage. It also promotes the initial stiffness, the inelastic absorbed energy and the ductility of steel-reinforced concrete beams.

Towards a high-performance asphalt concrete for extreme climatic conditions using asphaltenes and polyethylene terephthalate fibres

Asphalt pavement experiences various deteriorations in different weather conditions due to the viscoelastic nature of asphalt binder. This study aims to develop a high-performance asphalt concrete (HPAC) for extreme temperature conditions by incorporating waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres and asphaltenes, a by-product from Alberta oil sands. First, performance of asphalt binder modified with asphaltenes is evaluated according to the Superpave performance grading (PG) system. Next, to improve low-temperature properties, HPAC mixtures modified with PET fibre at percentages of 0.05–0.30% are tested for compactibility to reflect field construction considerations. Then, performance tests including dynamic modulus; indirect tensile strength test at low temperatures; and Hamburg wheel-track at high temperature are conducted for an effective evaluation of the unmodified and modified mixtures that are prepared using a combination of the dry and wet mix methods. Results of binder PG tests reveal that with 12% asphaltenes, the modified binder is suitable for HPAC applications. The mixes with and without PET fibres exhibit similar compactibility and meet air void requirements of a maximum 6%, and incorporating PET fibres increases stiffness by up to 3.3%. Compared with the unmodified mixes, an optimum dosage of 0.15% PET fibre increases fracture energy by up to 27% at −10 °C and enhances tensile strength by up to 18% at 0 °C. The mixture with the optimum dosage also exhibits excellent rut resistance at 60 °C showing no signs of moisture damage sensitivity. As a result, it boasts a remarkable rutting resistance index that is five times higher than that of the control unmodified mix.

Estudio experimental del uso de residuos de botellas de plástico en el hormigón convencional

Improper management of plastic bottle waste is harming the environment. Recycling this waste for inclusion in the concrete matrix is a viable alternative for its final disposal. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanical behavior of conventional concrete with the addition of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, designed according to the procedures established by the American Concrete Institute for a strength of 20 MPa. The analyzed properties of the concrete included consistency, density, compressive strength, and flexural strength. Sixty cylindrical and 60 prismatic specimens with PET fiber additions of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by weight of cement were prepared for testing at 7, 14, and 28 days of curing. The results indicate that maximum compressive and flexural strengths of 22.79 MPa and 3.19 MPa are achieved at 28 days by adding 2% and 6% PET fibers. Therefore, its application is recommended up to a proportion of 4%, where the corresponding dosage is 15.78 kilograms of PET fibers per cubic meter of concrete with a workable consistency.

Highly Efficient Tannic Acid (TA) -Iron Ion (Fe3+) Modification of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Fibers for High-Performance Polymer Composites

The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers surfaces were modified by complexing tannic acid (TA)-iron ions (Fe3+) to form a metal skeleton structure on the fibers. In this system a large number of phenolic hydroxyl groups, epoxy groups and other active groups on the fibers surfaces can stabilize the metal skeleton structure and enhance the interfacial peeling performance between the fibers and the composite rubber matrix. The modified PET fibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mechanical properties. The results showed that the peeling strength between the modified fibers and the rubber matrix was increased 45%. This method has the advantages of simple operation, mild conditions and low cost, which provides a new idea for the preparation of rubber/polyester fiber composites with excellent mechanical properties.

Buffer induced ionically crosslinked polyelectrolyte treatment for self-extinguishing polyester

Over 60 million tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers are produced annually for clothing, upholstery, linens, and carpeting. Despite its widespread use, the versatility of PET is constrained by its flammability, which poses a particular fire hazard to homes with synthetic furnishings. To mitigate this fire risk, a polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) solution composed of polyallylamine hydrochloride and poly(sodium phosphate) is deposited onto the surface of 100% polyester fabric to render it self-extinguishing and eliminate melt dripping. A buffered solution of acetic acid, citric acid, or formic acid is used to initiate ionic complexation, rendering the PEC water resistant. Buffer identity affects deposition, but does not significantly influence the intumescent mechanism. This rapidly deposited aqueous coating primarily operates by facilitating production of an insulating char layer that limits the heat release and degradation of polyester into volatile byproducts.

Scale‐up fabrication and advanced properties of recycled polyethylene terephthalate aerogels from plastic waste

AbstractTraditional fabrication methods of aerogels are time consuming, toxic, and difficult to implement, making the production of aerogels expensive and severely limits widespread adoption. Nonwoven technology is introduced to prepare fibers that can be used to create polymer‐based aerogel. With its introduction, it allows the continuous flow of fine fibers and eliminates the bottlenecking fiber preparation phase of the fabrication process. Using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) fibers and polyvinyl alcohol, two types of rPET aerogels are successfully fabricated, namely the lab‐scale and the large‐scale aerogels, to investigate the effectiveness of the nonwoven process line for the fiber preparation processing step. Fibers prepared manually (lab‐scale aerogels) and with the aid of a fiber preparation production line (large‐scale aerogels) are characterized and compared. Both lab‐scale and large‐scale aerogels exhibited the required specifications of low densities (12.6–45.9 and 13.2–43.7 mg/cm3, respectively) and high porosity (99.1%–96.7% and 99.0%–96.8%, respectively). Their thermal conductivity (23.4–34.0 and 23.2–31.9 mW/m⋅K, respectively) and compressive modulus (4.74–21.91 and 4.53–22.29 kPa, respectively) were also relatively similar. The advantage of scaled preparation of fibers for aerogel manufacturing includes higher throughputs (the line can produce up to 60 kg/h), improved consistency for defibrillation, homogenous fiber blending, and accurate replication of laboratory‐made aerogel properties. This demonstrates the viability of using nonwoven technology to scale for continuous production to bring down the production cost.Highlights Scale up production of aerogels using nonwoven technology Improving preparation process of aerogels through homogenous fiber blending Preparation rate of up to 60 kg/h Developed high porosity aerogels up to 99% Good thermal insulation of 23.2–31.9 mW/m⋅K

Evaluation and optimization of volume fraction and aspect ratio of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fibers in self-compacting lightweight concrete

ABSTRACT Use of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fibers to reinforce the performance of self-compacting lightweight concrete (SCLC) is reported. Evaluation and optimization of the fiber addition is based on different properties. SCLC mixes were designed using three volume fractions Vf (0.5%, 0.75% and 1%) and three aspect ratios (l/d = 15, 30 and 45) of fibers. Slump flow, T500, L-box, segregation, density, absorption, porosity, compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths, modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, thermal conductivity, flexural toughness, and impact resistance tests were performed and evaluated statistically. The results indicated that PET fibers in fresh SCLC negatively affected the flowability and passing ability, while they improved the segregation resistance. Compressive strength and modulus of elasticity slightly increased, whereas the tensile strength was significantly improved. Substantial improvements in flexural toughness, thermal and impact resistances were recorded, indicating beneficial enhancement in toughness and ductility. Less desirably, SCLC with PET showed slight increases in absorption and porosity. The statistical analysis showed that the fiber Vf controlled majority of the tested properties rather than the aspect ratio. Based on desirability function and multi-objective optimization, the optimum Vf and l/d were 0.65% and 35.6, respectively. Theoretical obtained values were verified experimentally for all properties with 0 to ±5% variance.

Differential impact of planktonic and periphytic diatoms on aggregation and sinking of microplastics in a simulated marine environment

Aggregation between microalgae and microplastics (MPs) significantly influences the MPs distribution in marine environment. We investigated the effects of two diatoms, the planktonic Pseudo-nitzschia pungens and the periphytic Navicula sp., on the formation and sinking of aggregates when they were cultured with four different types of MPs: small and large polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, and low-density and high-density polyethylene (PE) spheres. Navicula sp. formed aggregates with all MPs within one week, but P. pungens only formed aggregates with PE spheres after 9 weeks. The PE-Navicula sp. aggregates settled about 100 times faster than the PE-P. pungens aggregates (12.2 vs. 0.1 mm s−1), and this difference was most likely due to aggregate shape rather than size. Our findings indicate that the periphytic Navicula sp. had a greater effect on the settling of MPs than the planktonic P. pungens. These findings have implications for understanding the behavior of MPs in marine environments.

The Effect of 0.8% Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste Substitution on the Flexural Strength on K-175 Concrete

The use of plastics in daily life continues to increase in a variety of uses. One of the most commonly used plastic that is difficult to decompose is Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic. In recent years, such as the construction industry, has been trying to reuse the waste as construction material. Therefore, this research aims to contribute by exploring the effect of PET plastic fiber substitution as fine aggregate on the flexural strength of concrete. PET plastic fibers were used at 0.8% as partial replacement of fine aggregates and then chopped to a size of 5 cm long, 1-3 mm wide. The test results indicate that concrete containing 0.8% PET plastic fiber as a substitution of fine aggregate has a higher flexural strength value of 4.32% which is better than normal concrete. Therefore, using recycled PET fiber in concrete is needed as an eco-friendly and sustainable construction material in the future in order to minimize PET plastic waste and replace it as a concrete constituent material.

Improvement in BHETA yield by aminolysis and its application in hot melt adhesive

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling has been carried out by various methods, e.g., mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery method. In this study, chemical recycling of PET was carried out by aminolysis using ethanolamine and converted into bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalamide (BHETA). We have studied the effective polymeric catalysis of the aminolytic depolymerization of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using sulfated polyborate producing a broad range of crystalline terephthalamides. The reaction was performed by varying the PET: ethanolamine ratio, reaction time and catalyst. Recycled PET bottles, film, and fibres were used for conversion. A yield of 95 % was obtained for PET: ethanolamine ratio of 1:4 (w/w), with 4 h reaction time, at 160oC with sulfated polyborate as a catalyst. BHETA was characterized with FTIR, 1H,13C NMR, and DSC analysis. BHETA further gets reacted with dimer acid along with Ethylenediamine (EDA) at different molar ratios which produces polyesteramide (PEA) based hot melt adhesive (HMA). Thermal, mechanical, and rheological tests are performed and compared with traditional HMA. The effect on the properties of the hot melt adhesive, such as mechanical properties: tensile strength, shore D hardness, elongation at break; thermal properties: glass transition temperature (Tg), melting temperature (Tm), the heat of crystallization (Hc), crystallization temperature (Tc); adhesion properties: lap shear strength (LSS) and T-peel strength (TPS); rheological properties and degree of crystallinity were investigated. It was observed that the mechanical and thermal properties are increased by optimizing the concentration of BHETA. These HMA materials may have the capacity of being eco-friendly and have high adhesion properties.

Process development and techno-economic analysis for mechanochemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Chemical recycling of consumer plastics has garnered great attention recently towards achieving circular economy goals. Particularly in the case of PET waste, mechanochemical depolymerization in ball mill reactors has been identified as a very promising technology due to the high conversion rates achieved under mild conditions. While the absence of solvents in the reaction mixture reduces significant separation costs, mechanochemical depolymerization still presents challenges with respect to the efficient separation and purification of monomers. Thus, meticulous experiments, process modeling, and simulations are essential for demonstrating the separation and purification of monomers. In this study, we present the lab-scale separation process flow for the recovery of terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) from mechanochemically depolymerized polyethylene terephthalate (PET). We additionally examine the use recycling of ideal PET powder and commercial samples (e.g., PET fibers, bottles, and food containers) as feedstocks. The process parameters are optimized to achieve 97 %+ of monomer recovery with 99 %+ purity. The complete recovery of EG, and recycling of process water enables a ‘zero-liquid discharge’ process design. Subsequently, we conduct a techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate the economic potential of the proposed sequence, which resulted in a positive net present value (NPV) for the different scenarios and a minimum selling price (MSP) of $0.99/kg. Finally, we compare the economic potential of mechanochemical recycling of PET to fossil-based production and other recycling methodologies based on economic metrics.

Ni-P Electroless Plating of Polyethylene Terephthalate Fibers with Various Twist Number Utilizing Supercritical CO2-Assisted Catalyzation

Weavable devices are multifunctional fabric-based devices prepared by weaving various functional fibers into a single piece of fabric. Metalized polymer fibers are promising electrical conductors for such weavable devices because of the decnet electrical conductivity derived from the metal coating and flexibility arising from the polymer fiber. However, ensuring both sufficient electrical conductivity and stability in these metalized polymer fibers for practical device application remains challenging because of the insufficent adhesion between the metal coating and polymer fiber. An electroless plating with the catalyzation step performed in supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2)1 is developed to produce metallized polymers possessing high electrical conductivity and good adhesive properties between the metal coating and polymer fiber. In application, fibers are often twisted to enhance a specific property, such as the mechanical property, and the twist number (twist per meter, T/m) is expected to affect the electroless plating performance.In this presentation, Ni-P electroless plating of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers with a different twist number (twist per meter, T/m) is reported. The sc-CO2-assisted catalyzation was utilized to achieve electroless plating of Ni-P coatings on the PET fibers. The electrical resistance of the Ni-P/PET fibers was decreased following an increase in the twist number as listed in Table 1. Elemental analyses revealed that the Ni content in the Ni-P coating was higher for the PET fibers with a larger twist number. This tendency corresponded well the the electrical resistance results since Ni-P with a higher Ni content is expected to have a lower electrical resistance. Results obtained in this study indicate that PET fibers with a larger twist number is beneficial for the electroless Ni-P plating by decreasing of the electrical resistance in the fabricated Ni-P/PET fibers. Reference T.-F.M. Chang et al., Microelectron. Eng. 2020, 223, 111233. Figure 1

Microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres in large apex shark species: Abundance, characteristics, and recommendations for future research

Microplastics and microfibres are found ubiquitously in global oceans as well as marine organisms from different trophic levels. However, little is known about the presence of microplastics and microfibres in marine megafauna, such as sharks. This study provided the first investigation of the presence of microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres (i.e., cellulose based fibres) in intestine and muscle samples of four large apex shark species in Australian coastal waters. Microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres were found in 82% of the analysed intestine samples. The mean abundance in intestine samples was 3.1 ± 2.6 particles/individual, which corresponded to 0.03 ± 0.02 particles/g of intestine, across all shark species. The size of particles ranged from 190 to 4860 μm in length with 92% being fibrous in shape and the rest fragments. FTIR spectroscopy identified that 70% of fibres were cellulose-based followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET), while the fragments were polyethylene and polypropylene. In shark muscles, 60% of samples contained microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres, again with the majority being cellulose-based fibres followed by PET fibres. Methodological differences hinder a more comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination across studies. Additionally, we identified some challenges which should be factored in for future studies looking at the presence of microplastics as well as other anthropogenic fibres in these large marine organisms. Overall, the findings provide first evidence of microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres not only in the intestines, but also in muscle tissues of large apex shark species.

Immobilization of biomolecular anthocyanin natural sensor into plasma‐cured polyethylene terephthalate fibers from recycled plastic waste for determination of ammonia

AbstractPolyester textiles have been applied in numerous industrial applications. Polyester fibers are characterized with being excellent insulators to electricity, having excellent flexural and impact strength, ease of manufacture, low‐cost, as well as having resistance to moisture and chemicals. However, polyester fibers cannot be stained due to the absence of active dyeing sites on the surface of the fibrous structure. Thus, polyester cannot be dyed after it has been extruded. Herein, we report the development of novel‐colored polyester fabrics using plasma‐assisted dyeing and anthocyanin natural probe for determination of ammonia that may cause severe harmful effects to human organs and even death. Anthocyanin was extracted from red cabbage and characterized. The water‐soluble anthocyanin was fastened to polyester fibers by mordant (potash alum) to generate anthocyanin–mordant coordinative complex nanoparticles. Polyester can be treated with thin layer of anthocyanin probe after activation with plasma. The results showed excellent colorfastness, ultraviolet blocking, and antibacterial performance of the anthocyanin‐dyed polyester (APET) fibers. The APET fibers showed great potential for developing a portable colorimetric device for an on‐site detection of ammonia. APET displayed a detection limit of aqueous ammonia in the range of 25–200 ppb, displaying a change in color from purple (542 nm) to white (387 nm).