Wettability Of Films Research Articles

Dynamic Pore Network Modeling of Imbibition in Real Porous Media with Corner Film Flow.

Wetting films can develop in the corners of pore structures during imbibition in a strongly wetting porous medium, which may significantly influence the two-phase flow dynamics. Due to the large difference in scales between main meniscus and corner film, accurate and efficient modeling of the dynamics of corner film remains elusive. In this work, we develop a novel two-pressure dynamic pore network model incorporating the interacting capillary bundle model to analyze the competition between the main meniscus and corner film flow in real porous media. A pore network with four-point star-shaped pore bodies and throat bonds is extracted from the real porous medium based on the pore shape factor and pore cross-sectional area, which is then decomposed into several layers of sub-pore networks, where the first layer of sub-pore network simulates the main meniscus flow while the upper layers characterize the corner film flow. The two-phase flow conductance of throat bonds for different layers of sub-pore networks are determined by high-resolution two-phase lattice Boltzmann modeling, thus inherently considering the viscous coupling effect. In addition, two artificial neural network models are developed to predict the two phases' flow conductance based on the shape of the throat cross section and the fluid properties. The accuracy of the developed model is validated with a lattice Boltzmann simulation of imbibition in a strongly wetting square tube. Then the model is used to simulate imbibition in a strongly wetting sandstone porous medium, and the competition between the main meniscus and the corner film flow is analyzed. The results show that with decreasing capillary number and viscosity ratio between wetting and nonwetting fluids, the development of the wetting corner film becomes more significant.

Water Film Structure and Wettability of Different Quartz Surfaces: Hydrogen Bonding Across Various Cutting Planes.

Quartz is ubiquitous in subsurface formations. The crystal faces have different atomic arrangements. Knowledge of the molecular structures on the surface of quartz is key in many processes. Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to investigate the atomic arrangement effect on the water film structure, ion adsorption, and wettability at three different α-quartz surfaces. The interfacial structures depend on the quartz surface. Intrasurface hydrogen bonding between surface silanols differs in the α-quartz surface. At the (0001) surface, the OH density is 9.58 nm-2, consisting of Q2 units with two hydroxyl groups per silicone atom. At the (101̅0)-β surface, the OH density is 7.54 nm-2, consisting of Q3 units with one hydroxyl group per silicone atom; there is significant intrasurface hydrogen bonding. At the (101̅0)-α surface, the OH density is 7.54 nm-2, consisting of Q2 units; however, there is little intrasurface hydrogen bonding. The intrasurface hydrogen bonding results in the exposure of hydrogen-bond acceptors to the aqueous phase, causing water molecules to have an H-up (hydrogen toward surface) orientation. This orientation can be found at the (0001) and (101̅0)-β surfaces; it is related to the degree of ordering at the surface. The ordering at the (0001) and (101̅0)-β surfaces is higher than that at the (101̅0)-α surface. In aqueous systems with ions, cation adsorption is the most dominant at the (0001) surface due to the largest surface density of the intrasurface hydrogen bonding, providing interaction sites for cations to be adsorbed. We observe a pronounced decrease in water film thickness from the ions at the (0001) surface only, likely due to significant cation adsorption. In this work, we demonstrate that the hydrogen-bond network, which varies from the plane cut, affects the water film structure and ion adsorption. The contact is nearly zero despite the changes in the film thickness and molecular structure at the temperature of 318 K.

Fabrication of hydrophobic optical diffuser film for LED lights through induction-aided hot embossing using micro-textured mold fabricated by μ-WEDM: parametric analysis, wettability study and optical characterization

This study used an in-house designed induction-aided hot embossing (IHE) setup to make polymer-based hydrophobic optical diffuser film for LED lights. Negative-featured micron sized V-shaped grooves (Width and depth −300 μm, angle −60°, adjacent distance-500 μm) were fabricated on the mold to develop the micro-textured mold required for the hot embossing via μ-WEDM. In this study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polycarbonate (PC) were used as working substrates. Initially, the parametric investigation was carried out by considering the four main parameters of IHE, i.e., embossing temperature-(Te), pressure-(Pe), duration-(te), and deembossing temperature-(Tde). Parametric analysis shows that the height of the embossed micron-sized V-shaped-grooves on the polymer substrate significantly affects the embossed diffuser film’s wettability and lighting efficiency. Embossed PC diffuser film showed the highest height, WCA, and illumination in all parametric investigations. Finally, PC diffuser film was made with the optimal IHE parameters: Te−225 °C, Pe−40 Kg cm−2, te−600 s, Tde−30 °C. This set of settings resulted in a maximum V-groove height of 273.35 ± 4.71 μm and a 94.52% replication rate. Illumination analysis of embossed PC diffuser film (171×102 (lux)) compared to traditional/bare film (71×102 (lux)) revealed a 137.5% percentile gain in illumination. A laser-based optical system was employed for optical characterization, and the X-direction diffused light length on the white screen was measured. The best diffused light length was 109.35 mm for embossed PC diffuser film. To compare plain and embossed diffuser film lighting effectiveness, RGB photos captured by CCD-RGB camera were converted to HSI images to determine hue, saturation, and intensity. The intensity dropped most with embossed PC diffuser film. It shows that embossed PC diffuser sheet diffuses light better. Finally, wettability study showed that all embossed diffuser film surfaces are hydrophobic. Embossed PC diffuser film had the highest WCA (95.3°) and 27.71% higher wettability than bare film.

Yin-Yang membrane with dual superwettabilities for controllable separation of complex oil/water mixtures

Oil spill incidents and massive discharge of oily industrial wastewater have a profound negative impact on the global water ecosystem. Super-wettable membranes have emerged as a promising solution for oil/water separation. However, challenges arise when this technique is applied to different kinds of oily wastewater, especially triphase heavy oil/light oil/water mixtures, because of the membranes’ single function and limited applicability. Drawing inspiration from the Taiji diagram, we proposed a novel ‘Yin-Yang’ membrane (YYM) with dual superwettabilities to address these challenges. The unique dual superwettabilities make it possible to precisely independently adjust the wetting film and the corresponding liquid permeability at the Yin and Yang regions through the controllable pre-wetting. The YYM could achieve continuous separation with a high efficiency (over 99.1 %) and a large total flux (over 54.4 × 103 L·m−2·h−1) for triphase oil/water mixtures, regardless of liquid species and densities. Proof-of-concept experiments highlight the noticeable biocompatibility of YYM-filtrated water from hypertoxic oily wastewater. The YYMs enlighten the design of new super-wettable materials for use in hazardous waste elimination and water ecological restoration.

Fabrication of Silk Fibroin Film with Strong Anticoagulant Property from the Synergy of Deep Eutectic Solvents and UV-Light Irradiation

As a biological macromolecule, silk fibroin (SF) has great application potential in anticoagulant. However, its complex molecular structure leads to its poor solubility, which limits the application of SF. In this study, a novel SF film with strong anticoagulant properties was fabricated through the synergistic effect of LiBr deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and UV-light irradiation. Under the optimum conditions, the plasma recalcification time of SF film was 182 s, the hemolysis rate was 3.93%, and the dynamic coagulation time remained at a high level up to 60 min. The synergistic effect of UV-light and DES can promote the enhancement of hydrophilicity and the decrease of surface roughness of SF films, and thus the anticoagulant properties of the films were enhanced. The structure change, wettability, and roughness of SF films were characterized by XRD, FTIR, contact angle, and AFM. In the meantime, the wavelength of the UV-light and the irradiation time have an effect on the anticoagulant properties of the SF films. Furthermore, the improvement of the anticoagulant properties of SF films exhibits good universality for different LiBr DESs. The study provides a new direction for the preparation of strong anticoagulation SF films, as well as its application in life sciences.

Studying Flotation of Gold Microdispersions with Carrier Minerals and Pulp Aeration with a Steam–Air Mixture

This work is aimed at obtaining new knowledge in the field of interactions of polydisperse hydrophobic surfaces in order to increase the extraction of mineral microdispersions via flotation. The effect of high velocity and the probability of aggregating fine particles with large ones are used to increase the extraction of finely dispersed gold in this work. Large particles act as carrier minerals, which are intentionally introduced into a pulp. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that a rougher concentrate is used as the carrier mineral. For this purpose, it is isolated from three parallel pulp streams by mixing the rougher concentrate, isolated from the first stream of raw materials, with an initial feed of the second stream; accordingly, the rougher concentrate of the second stream is mixed with the initial feed of the third stream, and the finished rougher concentrate is obtained. In this mode of extracting the rougher concentrate, the content of the extracted metal increases from stream to stream, which contributes to the growth in its content in the end product. Moreover, in order to supplement forces involved in the separation of minerals with surface forces of structural origin in the third flotation stream, the pulp is aerated for a short time (about 15%–25% of the total) with air bubbles filled with a heat carrier, i.e., hot water vapor. Within this accepted flotation method, the influence that the surface currents occurring in the wetting film have on its thinning and breakthrough kinetics is proposed to be in the form of a correction to a length of a liquid slip in the hydrophobic gap. The value of the correction is expressed as a fraction of the limiting thickness of the wetting film, determined by the condition of its thickness invariability when the streams are equal in an interphase gap: outflowing (due to an action of the downforce) and inflowing (Marangoni flows and a thermo-osmotic stream). Gold flotation experiments are performed on samples of gold-bearing ore obtained from two deposits with conditions that simulate a continuous process. Technological advantages of this developed scheme and a flotation mode of gold microdispersions are shown in comparison with the basic technology. The purpose of this work is to conduct comparative tests on the basic and developed technologies using samples of gold-bearing ore obtained from the Natalka and Olimpiada deposits. Through the use of the developed technology, an increase in gold extraction of 7.99% and in concentrate quality (from 5.09 to 100.3 g/t) is achieved when the yield of the concentrate decreases from 1.86 to 1.30%, which reduces the costs associated with its expensive metallurgical processing.

Nano-captured water affects the wettability of cellulose nanofiber films

In this study, we report that the wettability of cellulose nanofiber films varies with their thickness, and this variation is attributed to the amount of water captured within the hydrogel-like film. To investigate this, we conducted water contact angle measurements on cellulose nanofiber films with different thicknesses. The wettability of the films was found to change from hydrophilic (approximately 20°) to that of the underlying silicon substrate (approximately 80°) by decreasing the mean film thickness within a range of 150 nm or less. Transmission electron microscope observations revealed that even under high-vacuum conditions (< 10−5 Pa), water was captured in regions where the film was thick enough to form a dense, three-dimensional network. However, in regions where the film was thin, the network structure became sparse and two-dimensional, and no water was observed. We propose that the wettability of cellulose nanofiber films changes based on the area ratio of water captured in thick 3D network regions, the underlying substrate, and the cellulose nanofibers. Furthermore, we quantitatively evaluated the relationship between the area ratio and the wetting state of the composite surface based on the Cassie-Baxter equation, then determined the minimum thickness at which water is retained within the cellulose fiber network.

Spontaneous imbibition of a liquid film wetting a wall-mounted cylinder corner.

Spontaneous imbibition flows within confined geometries are commonly encountered in both natural phenomena and industrial applications. A profound knowledge of the underlying flow dynamics benefits a broad spectrum of engineering practices. Nonetheless, within this area, especially concerning complex geometries, there exists a substantial research gap. This work centers on the cylinder-plane geometry, employing a combined theoretical and numerical approach to investigate the process of a wetting film wrapping a cylinder corner. It is found that the advance of the liquid front generally follows the Lucas-Washburn kinetics, i.e., t1/2 scaling, but it also depends on the dynamics of the liquid source. Furthermore, a theoretical estimation of the timescale associated with the imbibition process is also provided, especially the merging time as an important time length characterizing the duration of the wetting process. The timescale is highly dependent on the wettability conditions and the properties of the involved liquid. The conclusion of this work lays a theoretical foundation for comprehensively understanding the capillary phenomena in complex media and shedding light on various microfluidic applications.

Smart Films Produced by Electrospinning of Poly(butylene-adipate-co‑terephthalate)/poly-(ε-caprolactone) for Controlled Delivery of Ibuprofen

Wound dressing devices composed of microfibers of poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) and poly-(ε-caprolactone) incorporated with ibuprofen were obtained by electrospinning technique. The effect of ibuprofen concentration (0, 10, and 20% m m-1) on morphology, spectroscopic, and thermal characterization was evaluated. The fibers containing ibuprofen presented beads and revealed no uniformity. The spectroscopic analysis showed signals that reveal the ibuprofen incorporation on fibers. At the same time, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy indicated a difference in the fiber crystallinity depending on drug concentration, where a lower crystallinity was verified by the film containing a greater concentration incorporated. Rheological measurements revealed that films were more plastic in greater ibuprofen incorporation. Contact angle characterization revealed that ibuprofen solubilization on composite surfaces increased the film wettability. Finally, the fibers promoted the controlled release of ibuprofen, promoting morphological changes in polymeric matrices. The material developed can be used in future biomedical applications.

The effect of UVO treatment on TiO2-MAPbI3 heterostructure photodetector prepared in air atmosphere

TiO2-MAPbI3 heterostructure photodetectors were prepared in air atmosphere. The interface between electron transport layer and perovskite layer plays an important role in the performance of heterostructure photodetector. Here, ultraviolet ozone (UVO) treatment was used to improve the surface state of TiO2 film and the interfacial carrier transport performance of perovskite heterostructure photodetector. UVO treatment made TiO2 layer obtain the more oxygen vacancies and excess electrons, which were conducive to the electrical conductivity of electron transport layer. And MAPbI3 film deposited on UVO-treated TiO2 layer showed better uniformity and enhanced light absorption intensity due to the improved wettability of UVO-treated TiO2 film. Further research on photoelectric performance indicated that the increased light current and decreased dark current could be obtained for perovskite photodetector based on UVO-treated TiO2. In addition, the best exposure time was found to be 40 min. Compared with untreated sample, the detectivity of UVO-treated TiO2-MAPbI3 heterostructure photodetector increased by 80 %. Under 500 nm illumination with a light intensity of 1.6 mW cm−2 at −0.8 V bias, the responsivity, detectivity and external quantum efficiency of UVO-treated TiO2-MAPbI3 heterostructure photodetector reached 0.405 A W−1, 2.07 × 1011 Jones and 100.5 %, respectively.

Enhancing optical properties and wettability of colorless polyimide films by direct fluorination

Colorless polyimide (CPI) films were modified by direct fluorination. The effects of fluorination duration on the chemical structure and surface physical morphology of CPI films were investigated in detail. The results show that direct fluorination induces significant changes in the surface composition and structure, leading to an enhancement in the F/C and O/C ratios. Fluoridation also resulted in increased surface microcracking. In comparison to the original CPI films, the fluorinated CPI films showed good thermal stability and higher glass transition temperatures ([Formula: see text]), and higher optical transmittance (about 93.0%) in the ultraviolet–visible light region. Moreover, the fluorinated surfaces exhibit a high hydrophily and lipophilicity, and consequently a very high surface energy, according to contact angle measurements.

Ionic surfactants of different dipole moments as anti-solvent additives for air-processing MAPbI3−xClx perovskite thin films

Three ionic surfactants, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDABr), sodium lauryl ether sulfate (NaLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (NaLS), with different dipole moment values: 0.907, 17 and 212 Debye, respectively, have been used as anti-solvent additives to remove the moisture from perovskite precursor solutions. The three additives impact in different ways on the crystallinity, wettability and morphology of perovskite thin films, as well as on the stability and efficiency of air-processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The hydrophobic groups of the additives at the surface of perovskite thin films help to increase the stability of PSCs, especially DDABr of the lowest dipole moment. On the other hand, NaLES, of the highest dipole moment, is the most efficient to extract moisture from the perovskite precursor coatings, increasing the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of NaLES-based PSCs from 16.16 ± 0.94% to 17.21 ± 0.32% in comparison with that of the reference. Furthermore, the synergy between NaLES and the perovskite precursor additive, KI, achieves the best photovoltaic performance of the PSCs, leading to an average PCE of 17.42% and the best PCE of 18.75%. It is concluded that ionic surfactants of different dipole moments are good candidates as anti-solvent additives to improve the efficiency and stability of air-processed PSCs.

Construction of a sustainable and hydrophobic high-performance all-green pineapple peel cellulose nanocomposite film for food packaging

The increasing global awareness of environmental issues has led to a growing interest in research on cellulose-based film. However, several limitations hinder their development and industrial application, such as hydrophilicity, inadequate mechanical properties and barrier properties, and a lack of activity. This study aimed to create a sustainable and hydrophobic high-performance all-green pineapple peel cellulose nanocomposite film for food packaging by incorporating natural carnauba wax and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) into a pineapple peel cellulose matrix. The results showed that adding carnauba wax to the cellulose matrix converted the surface wettability of the cellulose-based film from hydrophilic to hydrophobic (water contact angle over 100). Additionally, the film exhibited ultraviolet resistance and antioxidation properties. The incorporation of CNF further improved the barrier properties, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the cellulose nanocomposite film. In applied experiments, the cellulose nanocomposite film delayed post-harvest deterioration and maintained storage quality of cherry tomatoes. Importantly, the cellulose nanocomposite film could be degraded in soil within 30 days. It can be concluded that the cellulose nanocomposite film has great potential to alleviate the environmental problems and human health problems caused by non-degradable petroleum-based plastic packaging.

Scalable production of hydrophobic starch/beeswax films by continuous solution casting

AbstractStarch is an appealing natural polymer for the scaled‐up production of biodegradable plastics. However, the low water resistance of starch has made its broad applicability largely doubted. In this study, starch was combined with beeswax (BW) through a pilot scale continuous solution casting (CSC) technique to reduce water affinity while keeping the ensuing films totally biodegradable. The phase morphology, surface wettability, and water vapor permeability (WVP) of films were examined over a broad BW–starch mass ratio (0.3–0.7). Emulsified, surfactant‐free starch/BW films were successfully obtained at a productivity of 0.55 m2 film h−1. The water contact angle increased nearly by 100% at 30 wt% BW, leading to remarkable reductions in WVP. BW droplets well distributed within the starch matrix played a key role in enhancing the water barrier properties of films. CSC of starch/BW films offers a basis to design new hydrophobic formulations for applications that require biodegradable plastics with high moisture resistance.

Buried interfacial modification in inverted perovskite solar cells with mercaptoethylamine

Poly (bis (4-phenyl) (2,4, 6-trimethylamine) amine) (PTAA) is widely used as a hole transport layer (HTL) in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the high hydrophobicity and non-radiative recombination losses of PTAA greatly limit the repeatability and photoelectric performance of PSCs. In this study, mercaptoethylamine (MEA), containing sulfhydryl groups, is proposed to fill the interface defect between PTAA and the perovskite layer, significantly improving the wettability of PTAA film and resulting in a more uniform perovskite layer deposition when compared with the common short carbon chain, propylamine (PA). By evaluating the energy level alignment and perovskite crystal growth in CsFA-based PSCs, it is demonstrated that MEA effectively eliminates lead (Pb) defects at the buried interface of perovskite films, suppresses trap-assisted carrier recombination, and extends the operational lifespan of PSCs. The results show that the power conversion efficiency of the p-i-n inverted CsFA-based photovoltaic device, reaches 22% after MEA optimization, and the unpackaged device maintains 97% of its initial efficiency under standard illumination after 300 h. Furthermore, when MEA was introduced to optimize the buried interface of CsFAMA-based perovskite films, the device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 23.18%. This work provides a promising approach for improving the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells through organic cation modification at the PTAA/perovskite interface.

Ultrafast laser texturing to improve wettability of polyimide (Kapton) films

Aim of this study is investigating the possibility of increasing the wettability of polyimide Kapton thin films by laser texturing. The laser textured surfaces were characterized through the water contact angle measurement and the surface tension evaluation; morphological and topological analyses were performed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope, respectively. As main outcome, it was found that laser texturing increases the wettability with respect to the untreated material with a decrease of contact angle of more than 20 %. In addition, the ultrashort pulse laser induced, on the material, LIPSS structures oriented in the direction of the polarization plane.

Examining the microstructure, morphological features, and wetting characteristics of Ti/TiN/TiAlN thin films produced through RF/DC magnetron co-sputtering

This study reports synthesizing and characterizing Ti/TiN/TiAlN thin films deposited on 316 L stainless steel and silicon wafer substrates using the reactive RF/DC magnetron sputtering technique. The films' microstructure, morphology, thickness, roughness, and wettability were investigated experimentally and theoretically using density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the CASTEP program. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of the fcc-TiAlN phase for coatings deposited at a DC power of 100 W, while increasing DC power to 150 W resulted in the appearance of a second phase, w-AlN. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed the formation of nanostructured coatings with a grain size range of 70–100 nm. The morphology of coatings was altered from a pyramid-like structure to a cauliflower structure by increasing the nitrogen amount in the N2/(Ar+N2) flow ratio. An increase in aluminum amount by increasing the DC power to 150 W enhanced the deposition rate and thickness of the coatings. The coatings deposited at a high N2/(Ar+N2) flow ratio exhibited minor surface roughness attributed to the compact structure. The contact angles obtained from the fabricated Ti/TiN/TiAlN coatings ranged from 86.2° to 114.2°, demonstrating values higher than the contact angle of uncoated 316 L stainless steel, which measured at 82°. Theoretical analysis using DFT calculations with CASTEP provided a fundamental understanding of the thin films' electronic structure and properties, consistent with the experimental results. This study highlights the importance of combining practical and theoretical analyses for a comprehensive understanding of material properties and the design of materials for various applications.

Self-Assembling Polymers with p-Aminosalicylate Anions Supported by Encapsulation of p-Aminosalicylate for the Improvement of Drug Content and Release Efficiency.

Bioactive linear choline-based copolymers were developed as micellar carriers for drug delivery systems (DDSs). The polymethacrylates containing trimethylammonium groups with p-aminosalicylate anions (PAS-based copolymers: series 1) or chloride anions (Cl-based copolymers: series 2) differing in ionic content and chain length were selected for drug loading. The diverse structures of amphiphilic copolymers made it possible to adjust the encapsulation efficiency of a well-known antibiotic, i.e., p-aminosalicylate in the form of sodium salt (PASNa) or acid (PASA), providing single drug systems. Goniometry was applied to verify the self-assembly capacity of the copolymers using the critical micelle concentration (CMC = 0.03-0.18 mg/mL) and the hydrophilicity level quantifying the surface wettability of polymer film using the water contact angle (WCA = 30-53°). Both parameters were regulated by the copolymer composition, indicating that the increase in ionic content caused higher CMC and lower WCA, but the latter was also modified to a less hydrophilic surface by drug encapsulation. The drug content (DC) in the PAS-based polymers was increased twice by encapsulation of PASNa and PASA (47-96% and 86-104%), whereas in the chloride-based polymer systems, the drug was loaded in 43-96% and 73-100%, respectively. Efficient drug release was detected for PASNa (80-100% series 1; 50-100% series 2) and PASA as complete in both series. The strategy of loading extra drug by encapsulation, which enhances the drug content in the copolymers containing anions of the same pharmaceutics, provided promising characteristics, which highlight the potential of PAS-loaded micellar copolymers for drug delivery.

Bioglass and Vitamin D3 Coatings for Titanium Implants: Osseointegration and Corrosion Protection.

The use of MAPLE synthesized thin films based on BG and VD3 for improving the osseointegration and corrosion protection of Ti-like implant surfaces is reported. The distribution of chemical elements and functional groups was shown by FTIR spectrometry; the stoichiometry and chemical functional integrity of thin films after MAPLE deposition was preserved, optimal results being revealed especially for the BG+VD3_025 samples. The morphology and topography were examined by SEM and AFM, and revealed surfaces with many irregularities, favoring a good adhesion of cells. The thin films' cytotoxicity and biocompatibility were evaluated in vitro at the morphological, biochemical, and molecular level. Following incubation with HDF cells, BG57+VD3_ 025 thin films showed the best degree of biocompatibility, as illustrated by the viability assay values. According to the LDH investigation, all tested samples had higher values compared to the unstimulated cells. The evaluation of cell morphology was performed by fluorescence microscopy following cultivation of HDF cells on the obtained thin films. The cultivation of HDF's on the thin films did not induce major cellular changes. Cells cultured on the BG57+VD3_025 sample had similar morphology to that of unstimulated control cells. The inflammatory profile of human cells cultured on thin films obtained by MAPLE was analyzed by the ELISA technique. It was observed that the thin films did not change the pro- and anti-inflammatory profile of the HDF cells, the IL-6 and IL-10 levels being similar to those of the control sample. The wettability of the MAPLE thin films was investigated by the sessile drop method. A contact angle of 54.65° was measured for the sample coated with BG57+VD3_025. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy gave a valuable insight into the electrochemical reactions occurring on the surface.

Novel lightweight and flexible functional textile based on PVDF and [Im, PF6] developed via the electrospinning technique

Lightweight functional textiles play a crucial role in the development of modern protective clothing. Unlike traditional multi-layer systems, which tend to increase weight considerably, lightweight functional textiles offer a revolutionary alternative, they preserve the lightness of the protective clothing while maintaining its effectiveness especially in situations where mobility is crucial, such as emergency response or rescue operations. Herein we develop lighter and more flexible functional textiles through the electrospinning process, while using a low volatile and eco-friendly solvent. The research was divided into two separate phases. The first one examined the properties of electrospun films using poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF and different concentrations of the ionic liquid 3-hexyl-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-iumhexafluorophasphate (v) [Im; PF6]. The evaluations covered the surface chemistry, morphology, wettability, thermal decomposition and fire resistance of films. It was found that the 3 % ionic liquid film had a contact angle of 100.4° and showed excellent fire resistance. The second part of the research involved the functionalization of cotton by applying the optimal concentration of the ionic liquid using electrospinning. The modified cotton was hydrophobic, with a contact angle increasing from 90° to 136°, and highly fire resistant. This finding indicates that electrospinning can successfully and efficiently fix the ionic liquid onto cotton in a single step.