Cationization of cellulose/polyamide on UV protection,bio‐activity,and electro‐conductivity of graphene oxide‐treated fabric

In this work, cationized cotton/nylon fabric was treated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to produce highly conductive fabric. The fabric was cationized with 3‐chloro‐2‐hydroxy propyl trimethyl ammonium chloride to attract more anionic GO. The fabric was then treated with GO followed by reduction with sodium dithionite. The results of energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated entire coverage of the fabric surface with rGO. The color of fabrics changed to gray‐black and the electrical resistance decreased to 0.6 × 103 Ω sq^?1. The washing fastness was measured according to ISO 105‐CO5 for color change and also electrical resistance of the samples demonstrated well stability of rGO on the fabric surface. The antibacterial activities of the treated fabrics improved against Gram‐negative bacteria including Escherichia coli (84.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (96.4%) and also Gram‐positive bacteria consisting Staphylococcus aureus (100%) and Enterococcus faecalis (98.4%). Further, the treated fabrics indicated an excellent UV reflectance of 100%. Finally heating of the cationized rGO fabric at 220 °C displayed a lower electrical resistance of 0.5 × 103 Ω sq^?1. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that heating has a slight effect on the dimensional thermal stability of the treated fabric as shrunk 2.43%. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45493.     

Higher‐order structural analysis of nylon‐66 nanofibers prepared by carbon dioxide laser supersonic drawing and exhibiting near‐equilibrium melting temperature

Extended chains and/or extended chain crystals (ECC) are important structures for improving the mechanical properties of polymer fibers. ECC have so far been produced using specially prepared materials or manufacturing methods. In our study on the production of nanofibers by carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser supersonic drawing, we succeeded in producing nylon‐66 nanofibers having a high melting point near the equilibrium melting point (T_m⁰). Two melting points (T_m) of 260 and 276°C were observed for the nanofibers, with the latter temperature being close to the T_m⁰ (280°C) of nylon‐66. A nanofiber that was heat treated at 279°C for 10 min displayed a large stacked lamellar structure with an average crystal thickness of 140 nm. That value was close to the average molecular chain length of 212 nm, which was calculated from the average molecular weight of the nanofibers. It was inferred from these results that ECC corresponding to the average molecular chain length were present in the nanofibers. The CO₂ laser supersonic drawing process is applicable to general purpose thermoplastic polymers and uses a simple drawing system. It is expected that this drawing method will help to improve the fundamental performance of general purpose polymers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40361.     

Effect of nanoclay on the thermal,mechanical, and crystallization behavior of nanofiber webs of nylon‐6

Nylon‐6 and nanoclay/nylon‐6 composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning technique, in which formic acid was used as a solvent for good solubility of nylon‐6. The diameter of nylon‐6 and nanoclay/nylon‐6 nanofibers was below 350 nm and had smooth surfaces. The DSC heating curves of nylon‐6 and composites nanofibers show two endotherm behaviors, T_m1 (about 214°C) and T_m2 (about 220°C), corresponding to the melting events of γ‐form and α‐form crystals, respectively. The WAXs study showed that the γ‐crystalline phase predominantly present in both nylon‐6 and nanoclay/nylon‐6 nanofibers. The mechanical properties of the nanoclay/nylon‐6 composite nanofibers were higher than neat nylon‐6 electrospun nanofibers, which was decreased as the quantity of the clay increased. It might be due to the aggregation of nanoclay at high concentration. The thermal properties of the composite nanofibers were higher than neat nylon‐6 nanofibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Flame retardant finishing of the polyester/cotton blend fabric using a cross‐linkable hydroxy‐functional organophosphorus oligomer

Blend fabrics of cotton and polyester are widely used in apparel, but high flammability becomes a major obstacle for applications of those fabrics in fire protective clothing. The objective of this research was to investigate the flame retardant finishing of a 50/50 polyester/cotton blend fabric. It was discovered previously that N,N′‐dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) was able to bond a hydroxy‐functional organophosphorus oligomer (HFPO) onto 50/50 nylon/cotton blend fabrics. In this research, the HFPO/DMDHEU system was applied to a 50/50 polyester/cotton twill fabric. The polyester/cotton fabric treated with 36% HFPO and 10% DMDHEU achieved char length of 165 mm after 20 laundering cycles. The laundering durability of the treated fabric was attributed to the formation of polymeric cross‐linked networks. The HFPO/DMDHEU system significantly reduced peak heat release rate (PHRR) of cotton on the treated polyester/cotton blend fabric, but its effects on polyester were marginal. HFPO/DMDHEU reduced PHRR of both nylon and cotton on the treated nylon/cotton fabric. It was also discovered that the nitrogen of DMDHEU was synergistic to enhance the flame retardant performance of HFPO on the polyester/cotton fabric.     

Photodynamic antifungal activities of nanostructured fabrics grafted with rose bengal and phloxine B against Aspergillus fumigatus

This study demonstrates that nanostructured fabrics grafted with rose bengal (RB) and phloxine B (PB) have photodynamic antifungal effects on Aspergillus fumigatus. RB and PB were attached to vinyl benzyl chloride, and, subsequently, this was polymerized with acrylic acid and styrene sulfonic acid to produce long, water‐soluble polymers to attach to the fabric surface. This gave high grafting yield and photodynamic antifungal activity against A. fumigatus. In RB and PB microdilution tests, there was no visible turbidity at 63 µmol/L. When polymerized RB and PB were incorporated into fabrics, the actions of polymerized RB and PB resulted in less hyphal growth and germination of conidia on A. fumigatus than the free RB and PB dyes. Nanostructured fabrics created by bonding RB‐ or PB‐containing polymers to electrospun nylon mats exhibited higher concentrations of the dyes, equivalent to 86 µmol/L. The microstructured fabrics created by bonding RB‐ or PB‐containing polymers to spunbonded nylon nonwoven fabrics only exhibited the equivalent of 32 µmol/L of the dyes. The nanostructured fabrics had a specific surface area of 28.1 m²/g, whereas the microfabric had 1.5 m²/g. Thus, the nanostructured fabrics increased the surface area 18.7× and the reflectance percent 16.2× when compared with the microstructured fabrics. This resulted in much higher photodynamic antifungal activity against A. fumigatus. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42114.     

Heat transmission of proban®-treated fabrics subjected to a radiant heat source

The apparatus described in DIN 4842 was used to measure the heat transmission of a series of Nomex, polyester–cotton, Proban®-Treated cotton, untreated cotton and wool workwear fabrics subjected to a radiant heat source. Heat transmission was found to be dependent on the incident heat flux, fabric weight and fabric thickness. At the heat flux levels tested, 10 KJ m^?2s^?1 and 20 KJ m^?2s^?1, heat transmission was found to be largely independent of the fibre composition of the fabric when single layers of fabric were tested. The level of heat transmission was reduced by the use of multiplayer assemblies or a reflective aluminium coating, but the greatest reduction was obtained when air spaces were interposed between the fabrics. Conbinaitons of fabrics were developed which transmitted less than 205 KJ m^?2s^?1 during testing at incident heat flux levels of 10 KJ m^?2s^?1 and 20 KJ m^?2s^?1.     

Graft copolymerization of nitrogen‐ and phosphorus‐containing monomers onto cellulosics for flame‐retardant finishing of cotton textiles

Phosphoramide containing an active vinyl group (P‐III) was prepared. Its structure was confirmed by elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopy. P‐III was evaluated as a fire‐retardant finishing agent for cotton fabrics. It was applied to cotton fabrics using a graft process with an Fe²⁺/H₂O₂ redox system. The major factors affecting the reaction were studied. The finished cotton fabrics were examined for flammability, and the effect of washing on treated fabrics was also examined. The results showed that P‐III can be successfully used as a flame retardant for cotton fabrics. Durably flame‐retardant cotton fabrics were obtained at add‐on levels higher than 38%. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2573–2578, 2003     

Preparation and properties of microencapsulated octadecane with waterborne polyurethane

A series of microencapsulated blends of waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) as a matrix polymer and phase change material octadecane as a domain material were prepared in the presence of emulsifier. Nylon fabrics were coated with the coating materials formulated from microencapsulated blends, thickener, and hardener. The morphology and thermal behaviors of microencapsulated octadecane and WBPU/octadecane‐coated nylon fabrics were investigated using SEM, DSC, and KES‐F7. The size of octadecane microspheres increased with increasing octadecane contents. However, the size of microcsphere (1–6 μm) decreased with increasing emulsifier contents. ΔH_fusion, ΔH_{crystallization}, and their filling efficiencies of octadecane in film samples were found to increase with increasing microencapsulated blends, thickener, and hardener contents. Especially, thickener and hardener could function in trapping microencapsulated octadecane. Thermal characteristic Q_max (J/cm² s) values of WBPU/octadecane‐coated nylon fabrics are much higher than those of the control nylon fabric and WBPU‐coated nylon fabrics, indicating that the nylon fabrics coated with WBPU/octadecane blends have cooler touch sensation compared with nylon fabrics and WBPU‐coated nylon fabrics. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1596–1604, 2005     

Cotton fabric graft copolymerization using microwave plasma. I. Universal attenuated total reflectance–FTIR study

The effect of microwave plasma on lightweight cotton fabric was investigated. N₂‐plasma, O₂‐plasma, and Ar‐plasma were obtained using a microwave generator at 2.45 GHz under vacuum. The universal attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (UATR–FTIR) instrument was used to monitor the changes created after N₂‐, O₂‐, and Ar‐plasma treatments. The exposure of cotton fabrics to the plasma for 240 s with a microwave power of 500 W was sufficient to create active carbonyl groups, as shown by the presence of a peak around 1725 cm^?1 in the FTIR spectra of the treated cotton fabrics. Ar‐plasma was found to generate more active groups than N₂‐ and O₂‐plasmas. The active centers created within the cellulose chains were used to initiate copolymerization reactions with vinyl monomers to impart hydrophobic character to lightweight cotton fabric. The efficiency of the grafting process and the presence of grafted monomers on fabric surface were confirmed using UATR–FTIR. Testing of treated fabric revealed that excellent water repellency was obtained. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 145–154, 2004     

Distribution and diffusion coefficients of NaCl in polyamide (nylon‐6,6 and polyxylyleneadipamide) membranes

Thin membranes of an aliphatic polyamide (nylon‐6,6) and an aromatic polyamide (polyxylyleneadipamide) (PXAP) were prepared, and their distribution (K) and overall diffusion (D) coefficients of sodium chloride were measured with the unsteady‐state and steady‐state dialysis method. The overall diffusion coefficients at a zero concentration [D⁽⁰⁾] of sodium chloride for nylon‐6,6 and PXAP were 1.3–0.8 μm²/s (from 2 min of interfacial polymerization to 4 min) and 0.078, respectively. D⁽⁰⁾ for PXAP was about 3 times greater than that of a cellulose acetate (CA) membrane (0.024 μm²/s). The K values for nylon‐6,6 and PXAP were 0.7–0.5 from 2 to 4 min and 0.05, respectively. K for PXAP was almost the same as K for CA (0.06). A two‐part (dense and porous) model of the membrane structure was applied to obtain D_d (the diffusion coefficient in the dense part of the membrane) and D_p (the diffusion coefficient in the porous part of the membrane) for CA, PXAP, and nylon‐6,6 thin membranes. The values of D_d were almost the same for both nylon‐6,6 and PXAP (0.05–0.061 μm²/s) and about 10 times greater than the value for the CA membrane (5.6 × 10^?3 μm²/s). D_p for PXAP was almost the same as D_p for CA. However, D_p for the nylon‐6,6 membrane was 10–16 times greater than D_p for the PXAP membrane. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2605–2612, 2002     

Resistivity of conductive polymer–coated fabric

Preparation of conductive polymer–coated fabrics was carried out by admicellar polymerization. By this method, a thin layer of conductive polymers (polypyrrole, polyaniline, and polythiophene) was formed on cotton and polyester fabrics by a surfactant template. The effects of monomer concentration, oxidant to monomer ratio, and addition of salt on the resistivity of the resulting fabrics were studied. The results showed that the apparent surface and volume resistivity decreased with an increase in monomer concentration in the range 5–15 mM, but was not strongly dependent on the oxidant to monomer ratio over the range of 1 : 1 to 2 : 1. Addition of 0.5M salt was found to reduce the resistivity significantly. The lowest resistivity obtained was with polypyrrole‐coated fabric, with resistivity around 10⁶ ohm. SEM micrographs of the treated fabric surface showed a filmlike polymer coating, confirming that the fabrics were successfully coated by admicellar polymerization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2629–2636, 2004     

Effect of cotton fabric pretreatment on drop spreading and colour performance of reactive dye inks

Ink dot distribution on cotton fabrics determines the colour performance of reactive dye inkjet printing, and ink drop spreading is one of the important factors influencing the ink dot distribution. In order to reveal the relationship between fabric pretreatment and ink drop spreading, two pieces of cotton fabric were pretreated respectively with sodium alginate and sodium alginate plus high fatty acid derivative solutions. Results indicate that the surface energy of the cotton fabrics was reduced from 73.79 to 69.45 and 58.49 mJ m^?2 after the pretreatment with sodium alginate and sodium alginate plus high fatty acid derivative respectively. Correspondingly, the spreading area of cyan ink drops on these fabrics was reduced from 104.9 to 92.5 and 72.3 mm². Furthermore, on the fabric treated with sodium alginate plus high fatty acid derivative, the strip‐like ink dots were narrow and short, which means the dye was concentrated in an area on the fabric surface. Colorimetric values of the inkjet‐printed fabrics demonstrated that the high fatty acid derivative would enhance the ability of sodium alginate to control ink droplet spreading, thereby improving the colour performance.     

Properties and antimicrobial efficacy of cellulose fiber coated with silver nanoparticles and 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPTMS)

Silver nanoparticles were coated onto cotton fabrics with 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPTMS). The coating process was accomplished by soaking the cotton fabrics into silver colloid/3‐MPTMS solution at 43°C for 90 min. The coated fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM images showed a layer of silver nanoparticles and 3‐MPTMS on cotton. The XPS data showed that distinguishable binding energy peaks of Ag 3d, Si 2p, Si 2s, S 2p were 368/374, 102, 153, and 162 eV, respectively, which confirms the existence of silver and 3‐MPTMS on cotton fabrics. The treated cotton fabrics showed prominent antimicrobial effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 4352). Furthermore, the laundry test showed that 66% of silver nanoparticles were retained after five washing cycles. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Development of conductive cotton fabrics for heating devices

Recent developments in the area of textiles to make fabrics more functional have led to synthesizing “intelligent fabrics.” This can be achieved by making the fabrics electrically conducting. In the present study it is reported that the cotton fabrics, when impregnated with polypyrrole, achieve enhanced level of conduction. The method of diffusion of pyrrole, followed by polymerization using iron chloride as oxidant, was used. The different levels of conduction were achieved by varying the contents of monomer in the bath from 0.01 to 0.1M during the synthesis. The conductivity could be enhanced from the initial value of 10^?12 to 10¹ S/cm. It is shown that when a fixed voltage is applied to such a modified piece of cloth, the heat generated is up to 1000 W/m² depending on the percentage of pyrrole present. Such fabrics can be used as heating pads and integrated into the apparel to keep the wearer warm enough using a portable 9.0‐V battery. Being flexible and breathable, such fabrics have better comfort properties (compared with conventional heating pads). It can find applications in dresses for army personnel and old‐age patients. Such conductive fabrics can also find applications in many areas such as electromagnetic interference shielding, gas sensors, and temperature indicators. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4690–4695, 2006     

A novel durable photoactive nylon fabric using electrospun nanofibers containing nanophotocatalysts

This study explores new technique to produce a nylon fabric with durable self-cleaning property. Nylon fabric (polyamide 66) has been coated with electrospun nylon nanofibers containing nanoparticles (TiO₂, SrTiO₃ and ZnO). The coated samples were heat-setted in order to fixation of the nanofibers on surface of the nylon fabric. The self-cleaning property is tested by discoloration of the stained fabric with Direct Green 6 under UV irradiation. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were employed to characterize the treated nylon fabrics. The treated fabrics showed excellent photoactivity toward dye degradation. Moreover, the photoactivity of the treated fabrics stable after repeat laundering.     

Preparation of polyaniline/nylon conducting fabric by layer‐by‐layer assembly method

In this article, layer‐by‐layer assembly technology was used to prepare polyaniline (PANI)/nylon conducting fabrics. PANI/nylon conductive composite fabrics were prepared by deposition of polyanion (PSS) and polycation (aniline cation) alternately. The pretreatment with PSS was discussed. The influence of the reaction time, aniline concentration, acid concentration and assembly time on the conductivity, and K/S values of composite fabric was studied. The optical reaction condition of assembly should be: the concentration of PSS was 20 g/L, the PSS‐treated nylon immersion in blended bath for 24 min, ammonium persulfate 0.1 mol/L, aniline 0.1 mol/L, p‐toluene sulfonic acid 0.3 mol/L. In the end, the conductive composite fabrics were characterized by fourier transformed Infrared‐attenuated total reflection spectroscopy and compared with pure nylon fabrics. At the same time, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and mechanical properties were studied. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

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.     

A facile dip‐coating approach to prepare SiO2/fluoropolymer coating for superhydrophobic and superoleophobic fabrics with self‐cleaning property

In this study, a facile, two‐step dip‐coating approach was reported for the fabrication of the superhydrophobic and superoleophobic cotton fabrics. It was confirmed that the superhydrophobic and superoleophobic composite thin film containing modified‐SiO₂ nanoparticles and fluoropolymer had been successfully fabricated on the cotton fabrics surface, the results demonstrated that the treated cotton fabrics showed good performances, such as superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity, low water and oil absorption ability, self‐cleaning property and good laundering durability, so forth. The above approach can be applied to potentially advance superhydrophobic and superoleophobic fabrics materials for a variety of applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41458.     

Kinetics of the thermal inactivation of Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase and its application on the desizing of cotton fabrics

The thermal inactivation of Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase was studied in the presence and in the absence of Ca²⁺ at various temperatures. Inactivation rate constant (k), half‐life time (t_1/2), and activation energy (E_a) were determined to characterize the inactivation of the enzyme. Results obtained showed that the thermal inactivation of Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase followed a first‐order kinetics. The addition of Ca²⁺ had a good thermostabilizing effect on the enzyme. The stabilizing effect of Ca²⁺ is reflected by the increased values of the activation energy, which is about two times higher in the presence than that in the absence of 20 mM Ca²⁺, and the decreased values of the inactivation rate constants. The desizing of the cotton fabrics was performed through steaming at 100°C with Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase. The desizing efficiency seemed to be dependent on the concentration and pH value of the enzyme solution. It was found that through the steaming process with α‐amylase, the desizing ratio of the cotton fabrics could be beyond 98% and little damage happened to the fibers of the fabrics. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Antibacterial,flame retardant,and physico‐chemical properties of cotton fabric graft copolymerized with a binary mixture of acrylonitrile and 4‐vinylpyridine

Modification of cotton fabric has been carried out through chemically induced graft copolymerization of binary mixture of acrylonitrile (AN) and 4‐vinyl pyridine (4‐VP) using ceric ammonium nitrate, (CAN) as initiator. Maximum percentage of grafting (151.28%) has been obtained at [4‐VP] = 0.376 mol L^?1 and [AN] = 1.221 mol L^?1, [CAN] = 0.0255 mol L^?1 and [HNO₃] = 0.9585 mol L^?1 in 25mL of water at 70°C in 180 min. Post quarternization and phosphorylation reactions of the grey and grafted cotton fabrics have been carried out to study their antibacterial and flame retardant properties respectively. The fabrics have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The physico‐chemical properties such as wettability, moisture regain, crease recovery and tensile strength of the grey and grafted cotton fabric have also been evaluated. The modified fabric has been shown to exhibit excellent antibacterial and flame retarding properties with improved physico‐chemical properties except for the mechanical properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40415.