The Impact of In‐situ Fabric Surface Energy on Dehydration of Fabrics

Reducing liquid surface tension is widely used to increase the efficiency of the centrifugal dehydration in textile wet processing. However, increasing the dehydration efficiency by decreasing fabric surface energy is seldom studied. In this work, the impact of in situ fabric surface energy on residual moisture content (RMC) of fabrics in the dehydration processes was investigated. Different types of fluorocarbon surfactants including cationic, anionic, nonionic and amphoteric were adopted as additives in this study. The liquid surface tension and RMC were efficiently decreased when fluorocarbon surfactants were used. Notably, a cationic fluorocarbon surfactant displays similar surface tension but distinct dehydration efficiency. The in situ fabric surface energy was evaluated by measuring the n‐octane contact angle on the cotton fabric surface under the surfactant solution using the captive bubble method. It was found that the cationic fluorocarbon surfactant system gave the lowest fabric surface energy, which was probably because cationic fluorocarbon surfactants are easier to adsorb onto the surface of cotton fabric to form a fluorocarbon layer. The chemical composition (¹⁹F, ¹²C and ¹⁶O) analysis of the cotton fabric surface by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the hypothesis.     

Photoinitiated polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate with cotton cellulose

Unsensitized, photoinitiated polymerization reactions of glycidyl methacrylate from solutions of water and water–methanol with cotton cellulose fabrics were investigated. When several layers of cotton fabrics were immersed in solutions of glycidyl methacrylate and only the surface layer was exposed to light, polymerization reactions were initiated in this layer and also initiated in inner layers of fabrics, probably by chain transfer reactions. Photoinitiated (350 nm, 24 W, 34 min) polymerizations of glycidyl methacrylate (7.5 vol-%) from water (43 vol-%)–methanol (57 vol-%) with cotton fabrics in one-, three-, and six-layered configurations were: one-layered, 32% polymer; three-layered, 30%, 27%, and 25% polymer; and six-layered, 29%, 25%, 22%, 20%, 14%, and 11% polymer. Electron-microscopic examination of the distribution of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) within the cotton fibrous structure showed that polymer was distributed throughout the cross section of the fiber. At the surface of the fibers, the polymer tended to be more concentrated than within the cross section of the fibers and to encapsulate them. Photoinitiated polymerization reactivities of several vinyl monomers from solution with cotton cellulose fabrics were compared with those of glycidyl methacrylate as follows: methyl methacrylate > glycidyl methacrylate > diacetone acrylamide > 1,3-butylene dimethacrylate > methacrylic acid > acrylonitrile > divinylbenzene.     

Effect of wear factors on lyophobic properties of fabric modified by a fluorosilane

The properties of the cotton fabric madepolam modified by 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,9-heptadecafluoro-N-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]nonanamide were studied. It was found that the hydrophobic and lipophobic properties of the material did not change under the influence of various operational factors (UV light, increased moisture, temperature, abrasion, multiple washings). The stability of the lyophobic properties of the fabric was due to the chemical structure of the modified layer surface.     

Thermal and crystallization behavior of cotton—Polypropylene commingled composite systems

Techniques like thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscopy were used to study the thermal and crystallization behavior of cotton‐polypropylene (PP) commingled composite system. Thermal analysis was used to understand the structure‐property relationship and also to quantify the amount of moisture and volatiles, which causes the deterioration of the composite performance. Thermal stability of the composite was found be intermediate between that of PP and cotton fibers. Presence of treated reinforcements had increased the crystallinity of PP. Also, fibers act as heterogeneous nucleants and favor the early crystallization of PP in the composites. The crystallization and onset crystallization temperature values were increased by the presence of cotton fibers. The theories of heterogeneous nucleation and crystal growth kinetics were used to explain the growth of transcrystalline layer (TCL) of PP on cotton fibers. The interfacial free energy difference for nucleation of PP on fiber was found to be smaller compared with that in the bulk PP. This favors the formation and growth of TCL. The thickness of TCL and radius of the spherulites increase with the increase in the crystallization temperature. Fiber surface roughness and thermal stresses facilitate the growth of transcrystallinity on cotton fiber. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1487–1494, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

细特丙纶针织物服用舒适性的研究

研究了细特丙纶变形丝和棉等三类针织物(起绒、毛■、纬平)的服用舒适性能,即透湿性、导湿性和保暖性,讨论了织物组织结构对服用舒适性的影响,并对细特丙纶针织物的毛细升高现象进行了分析.研究表明,细特丙纶各类针织物的透湿性、导湿性和保暖性均优于棉针织物,而棉盖丙针织物的导湿性优于丙纶和纯棉织物.     

Flame resistant cotton fabrics prepared by radiation-initiated polymerization with vinyl phosphonate oligomer and N-methylolacrylamide

Radiation-initiated polymerization of vinyl phosphonate oligomer (molecular weight 500–1000) and N-methylolacrylamide from aqueous solutions was investigated with cotton printcloth, flanelette, and sateen fabrics and with cotton (50%)–polyester (50%) flannelette fabrics. Determinations were made of the effects of radiation dosage, mole ratio of vinyl phosphonate in the oligomer to N-methylolacrylamide in aqueous solution, concentration of reactants, wet pickup of solutions on fabrics, and irradiation of both dry and wet fabrics on efficiency of conversion of oligomer and monomer in solution to polymer add-on. The effects of vinyl phosphonate oligomer and N-methylolacrylamide radiation-initiated polymerization on some of the textile properties of cotton printcloth and on flame resistances of cotton and cotton–polyester fabrics were evaluated. The breaking strength of modified cotton printcloth was about the same as that of unmodified fabric; however, the tearing strength and flex abrasion resistance of modified fabric were reduced. The textile hand of the modified printcloth fabrics that had flame resistance indicated: interaction between cellulose and vinyl phosphonate oligomer–poly(N-methylolacrylamide) and uniform deposition in the fibrous cross section (transmission electron microscopy); surface areas of heavy deposits of oligomer–polymer (scanning electron microscopy); and phosphorus located throughout the fibrous cross section (energy dispersive x-ray analysis). Polymerization of vinyl phosphonate oligomer and N-methylolacrylamide was radiation initiated with cotton–polyester fabric; however, this modified fabric did not have flame-resistant properties.     

Fabrication of two-layer SiC nanowire cladding tube with high thermal conductivity

Among the various concepts of SiC-based accident-tolerant fuel cladding, duplex SiC cladding, consisting of an inner composite layer and an outer monolithic SiC layer, is considered an optimal design due to its low load failure probability. In this study, SiC nanowires (SiCnw) were introduced on the substrate graphite rod to decrease the diameter of architectural valley-regions of SiC fiber (SiC_f) tubular preform. By avoiding the architectural valley-voids, a dense two-layer SiCnw tube consisting of an inner SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix (SiC_f/SiC) composite layer deposited by chemical vapor infiltration with a smooth inner surface was obtained. The microstructure and thermal properties of as-obtained two-layer SiCnw tubes were studied. Results showed that the thermal conductivity of the whole tube was highly sensitive to variations in thermal conductivity of the inner composite layer. By improving the thermal conductivity of the inner composite layer, the two-layer SiCnw tube exhibited a thermal conductivity of 23.8 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at room temperature, which had an improvement of 71 % compared to the two-layer SiC tube (13.9 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹). Moreover, the thermal transport properties of the two-layer SiCnw tube were significantly improved by a reduction in roughness of the inner surface.     

Moisture and heat transfer in hybrid weft knitted fabric with artificial intelligence

One of the most important properties of clothes is their ability to help the body's thermal system to keep the body temperature in its natural range, even if the environmental conditions or physical activities are outside the body's ideal range. Perspiring is one of the most important effects of physical activities in warm weather for shedding the body's excessive heat. Therefore, the basic requirement of a fabric worn next to the skin is to transfer this moisture to the atmosphere to reach comfort through the avoidance of a feeling of wetness and clamminess and also through the generation of a situation for the best surface evaporation of moisture. The main goal of this study was to achieve a kind of fabric that guarantees comfort for the body by good heat and moisture transport. To achieve this goal, a group of double‐surface fabrics containing hydrophilic and hydrophobe fibers were knitted, and their simultaneous heat and moisture transport was evaluated with the help of a perspiration‐simulation machine; the results were analyzed as transfer process plots. Also, the transmission of heat and moisture was evaluated for all of the samples by differential modeling as an artificial neural network. Effective parameters on heat and moisture transfer were taken into consideration with modeling and statistical methods. The results were analyzed to find a suitable fabric with optimum comfort. The final results showed that a fabric made of micropolyester filaments and cotton yarns on the bottom and top surfaces, respectively, had the best heat and moisture transfer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Electrochemically stimulated 2‐ethylhexyl phosphate (EHP) release through redox switching of conducting polypyrrole film and polypyrrole/poly (N‐methylpyrrole) or self‐doped polyaniline bilayers

2‐Ethylhexyl phosphate (EHP) released from poly(pyrrole 2‐ethylhexyl phosphate) (PP‐EHP) was investigated at open circuit and compared with electrochemically stimulated release during potential cycling. It was found that the fast EHP release from the PP‐EHP single layer is substantially retarded and that amounts of spontaneously and electrochemically released EHP can be reduced by constructing bilayers, consisting of a PP‐EHP inner layer and a poly(N‐methylpyrrole)‐poly(styrene sulfonate) (PNMP‐PSS) or self‐doped poly(aniline) sulfonate (SPANI) as the outer films. The presence of outer film over the PP‐EHP allowed surface‐property modification, as well as the control of the rate of EHP release, while electrochemically stimulated EHP release from inner films was not substantially hampered by the outer layer. The quantity of the EHP released was investigated using UV‐vis spectrophotometery and an electrochemical quartz‐crystal microbalance (EQCM) during reduction of PP‐EHP from single layer and bilayers through electrochemical stimulation. EHP was reincorporated to the inner film by applying an anodic potential and then the release of EHP was performed again. The results showed that the outer film could act as a barrier to ion‐and solvent‐transport between the inner film and electrolyte, yielding a more balanced counter‐directional movement of anions. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Air filter media functionalized with β-Cyclodextrin for efficient adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Respiratory air filter media invariably comprise a nonwoven textile fabric. The limitation of the existing fibrous air filter medium is negligible protection against hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, the filter media was cross-linked with β-Cyclodextrin for the surface functionalization. The VOC adsorption performance of the functional fabric was explored for styrene, benzene, and formaldehyde and also compared with a commercial nonwoven face mask. The functionalized fabric performed much better than commercial masks with adsorption capabilities of 18.80 μg mg⁻¹ (for xylene), 14.75 μg mg⁻¹ (for benzene), and 0.06 μg mg⁻¹ (for formaldehyde). Further, the cross-linking did not affect the air permeability (204 cm³ cm⁻² s⁻¹) thus showing no resistance to breathing. β-Cyclodextrin functionalized textiles can be promising respiratory air filter media having the potential to capture a variety of VOCs yet remain breathable.     

Design of Porous Banana Foam Mat to Resist Moisture Migration Using a 2-D Stochastic Pore Network and Its Textural Property

The high porosity of dried banana foam allows it to quickly adsorb moisture from the air during storage, leading to a loss of quality and textural properties. Therefore, the main purpose of this research was to design and study banana foam structure at the pore level to limit moisture migration using a 2-D stochastic pore network. A 2-D network formed by the interconnection of cylindrical pores was used to represent the voids inside the banana foam and the moisture movement inside the individual pore segments during adsorption was described by Fick's law. The pore network was divided into two layers with different banana foam densities and the top surface of the network was exposed to humid air. The upper layer was assigned with pore sizes from the banana foam density of 0.31 g/cm³, having a void area fraction of 0.22, or from a density of 0.21 g/cm³, having a void area fraction of 0.31; the lower layer was assigned specifically with the pore sizes from the banana foam density of 0.26 g/cm³, having a void area fraction of 0.26. The predictions agreed well with the experimental results, with an R² value above 0.95. The two-layered banana foam mat with high banana foam density (characterized by mostly small pores) on the upper layer could limit the transport of moisture, with a rate relatively lower than that of a single-layered banana foam mat, and also exhibited more crispiness than the single banana foam. However, when the low banana density was in the upper layer, the two-layered sample adsorbed moisture quickly and its texture was less crispy.     

Fabrication of a Bio-Based Superhydrophobic and Flame-Retardant Cotton Fabric for Oil–Water Separation

It is an urgent task to develop environmentally friendly and flame retardant durable oil–water separation materials. A green TA/B@PDA coating derived from bio-based materials such as tannic acid (TA), borax (B), and polydopamine (PDA) is deposited on cotton fabric through facile dip-coating method and step-by-step assembly method. A series of methods are used to characterize the as-prepared cotton fabric. PDA provides a reactive interface, while n-dodecyl mercaptan enhances the hydrophobicity of the surface with a water contact angle (WCA) and shedding angle (SA) of 153.3° ± 1.2° and 9° ± 0.8°, respectively. The as-prepared fabric exhibits outstanding oil/water separation efficiency (>98.5%) for various types of oil, and wear resistivity, washability, and reusability. Meanwhile, combustion test and limit oxygen index (LOI) test show that the modified fabric has excellent flame retardant performance. The cone calorimeter test (CCT) indicates that compared with the pristine cotton fabric, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) of the TA/B@PDA cotton is decreased by 50% and 32%, respectively. Through the analysis of char residues, the flame retardant mechanism is studied. This method provides a general green way for the construction of superhydrophobic surfaces, and can be further applied to the broad fields of durable oil–water separation.     

可穿戴柔性心电电极织物的舒适性探索

对由4种不同经纱(涤纶、锦纶、棉纤维、竹浆纤维)织造的可穿戴纺织结构心电电极织物进行舒适性探索,包括测试电极织物的压缩、弯曲、表面摩擦、透气和透湿等性能。研究结果表明:锦纶纱织物的透气性能较好,但其手感较硬,织物表面粗糙,外观保持性差;竹浆纤维纱织物透湿性能优异,蓬松柔软性一般,透气性较差;棉纱织物的透气性能较好,透湿性能较差;涤纶纱织物柔软性好,丰厚性保持能力较好,透气、透湿性能较差。     

Effect of cellulase pretreatment of raw and bleached cotton fibers on properties of hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of enzymatic pretreatment of cotton (polysaccharides) fibers on the properties of resulting nonwoven fabric. Enzymatic treatment is known to improve the esthetical properties of fabrics but will likely lead to a reduction in strength. In the case of nonwovens the strength loss can be even more drastic as cellulase may attack bonded areas of the fabric. In this work, raw and bleached cotton fibers were treated with enzyme solutions prior to fabric formation to avoid possible damage to the bonded areas and improve strength retention. These fibers were first modified with commercially available whole cellulases and monocomponent endoglucanase enzyme solutions. Then they were formed into a fabric and bonded via hydroentangling. Parameters such as bending modulus, fabric tenacity, fiber strength, length and reducing power were measured for each sample. The pretreatment of cotton fibers prior to fabric formation showed that the resulting nonwovens could be stronger and more drapeable than the same fabric composed of untreated fibers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Mechanical and electret properties of polypropylene unwoven fabrics reinforced with POSS for electret filter materials

A novel polypropylene/Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (PP/POSS) composite unwoven fabric with permanent electret was prepared through melt-blown process with corona charging. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) were employed to investigate the morphology of the composite fibers and the distribution of POSS nanoparticles on the surface of the fibers, respectively. POSS acted as nucleating agent and accelerated the crystallization process during nonisothermal cooling. The utmost stable charge density of PP/POSS melt-blown unwoven fabric was improved by 78.4% compared with the neat PP unwoven fabric. The maximum value of collection efficiency measured by monodisperse polystyrene aerosol (PSL) (particle size: 0.3 μm) collection could reach 97.36% for PP/POSS composite melt-blown unwoven fabric, which improved by 9% compared with neat PP melt-blown unwoven fabric. Moreover, both stress and elongation at break of the PP/POSS melt-blown unwoven fabrics were improved compared with PP unwoven fabric.     

织物增强吸水胶管的技术改进

对织物增强吸水胶管进行了技术改造。骨架层织物以浸胶处理的Ｖ８５型维纶帆布代替棉帆布；内胶层胶料选用橡塑并用并配以一定量再生胶；外胶层胶料选用ＮＲ／ＣＲ／ＢＲ三胶并用；擦布胶胶料选用ＳＣＲ５标准胶并配以一定量再生胶。产品各项性能指标均达到ＧＢ１１８８－８９标准要求并通过市级鉴定。产品经济效益可观。     

KH550改性水性聚氨酯的制备及应用研究

以异佛尔酮二异氰酸酯(IPDI)和聚酯多元醇218为预聚原料、2,2-二羟甲基丙酸(DMPA)为亲水性扩链剂、三羟甲基丙烷(TMP)为交联剂、三乙胺(TEA)为中和剂、γ-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(KH 550)为改性剂,制得有机硅改性水性聚氨酯(WPU-Si);并将其用作纯棉及涤/棉机织物的涂料印花耐摩擦色牢度提升剂。研究了KH 550用量对乳胶粒粒径及胶膜吸水率、拉伸强度和拉断伸长率的影响;通过FT-IR分析对其结构进行了表征,利用SEM对整理后织物的表面形态进行了表征。结果表明,KH 550较佳的质量分数为3%。将WPU-Si应用在机织物的涂料印花中,对于纯棉织物,当WPU-Si质量分数为6%时耐干、湿摩擦色牢度最佳;对于涤/棉织物,当WPU-Si质量分数为5%时耐干、湿摩擦色牢度最佳;通过SEM照片表明纤维空隙之间及织物表面明显均有胶膜的存在,纤维与纤维之间存在明显的粘连,说明整理剂成功附着于纤维和织物的表面,达到了整理的目的。     

Performance evaluation of modified fabricated cotton membrane for oil/water separation and heavy metal ions removal

Preparation of effective membrane with special surface treatment for oil/water separation having promising future and low manufacturing cost. The suggested membrane was fabricated by a simple treatment via increasing the hydrophilicity of the cotton fabric surface. The cotton fabric was impregnated in poly(acrylic acid-co-N-methylol acrylamide), poly(AA-co-NMA), where NMA acts as bonding agent. Sodium hypophosphite (SHP) was added to the modification solution to enhance the bonding between the cotton fabric and the PAA. The modified fabric was thermally dried and cured at different temperatures. It was found that, the presence of 3.5% NMA and addition of 5% SHP to the modification solution then curing at 190°C gave the highest amount of bonded PAA to the cotton fabric. The success of the modification process was confirmed by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transformer infrared and the increase in the contact angle of the cotton fabric after modification. Furthermore, the prepared membrane was evaluated for oil (n-hexane, toluene, and petroleum ether)/water separation and also for heavy metal ions removal (Cd²⁺ and Co²⁺). Neutralization of the produced membrane with ammonium hydroxide resulting in a higher contact angle and consequently higher separation efficiency for oil/water mixtures and higher performance for heavy metal ions removal compared to the unneutralized one.     

Enhancement in electrical conductive property of polypyrrole‐coated cotton fabrics using cationic surfactant

Recently, great efforts have been made to gain highly conductive fabrics for smart textiles and flexible electromagnetic shielding materials. Different from the conventional chemical synthesis method, fibrillar polypyrrole was synthesized on the cotton fabrics via a simple chemical polymerization process with micelles of cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) as soft template. The modified cotton fabric exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness due to the formation of fibrillar polypyrrole on the fiber surface. Electrical conductivity of fabric surface were studied by four‐probe resistivity system. The highly conductive fabric with surface conductivity of 5.8 S cm^?1 could be obtained by changing cationic surfactant concentration. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the modified fabrics was evaluated by the vector network analyzer instrument. Compared with the sample without using surfactant, the EMI SE value of PPy‐coated cotton fabrics increased by 28% after using 0.03 M CTAB as soft template. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43601.     

Elucidation of Softening Mechanism in Rinse Cycle Fabric Softeners. Part 1: Effect of Hydrogen Bonding

Most softening agents, such as rinse cycle fabric softeners, used by consumers at home contain cationic surfactants that have two long alkyl chains as their main component. The softening mechanism on fibers, especially cotton, has not yet been scientifically established, despite the market prevalence of fabric softeners for decades. One explanation for the softening effect is that the friction between fibers is reduced. According to this explanation, the fiber surfaces are coated by layers of alkyl chains. Because of the low coefficient of friction between alkyl chain layers of low surface energy, the fibers easily slide against one another yielding softer cotton clothing. However, no direct scientific evidence exists to prove the validity of this explanation. The softening mechanism of cotton yarn is discussed in this paper. Bending force values of cotton yarn treated with several concentrations of softener are measured by bend testing, and cotton and polyester yarns are compared. Results indicate that increases in cotton yarn hardness after natural drying are caused by cross‐linking among inner fibers aided by bound water. This type of bound water has been known to exist even after 2 days of drying at 25 °C and 60 % relative humidity. Yarn dried in vacuo is soft, similar to that treated with softener. Thus, some of the softening effect caused by fabric softeners on cotton can be attributed to the prevention of cross‐linking by bound water between cotton fibers.