Ultraviolet-Sensitive Photoluminescent Spray-Coated Textile
, Shimaa S. M. Elhadad 1, Mehrez E. El-Naggar 2, Hatem E. Gaffer 1 and Tawfik A. Khattab 1,*Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This manuscript introduces a simple and facile photoluminescent and superhydrophobic smart cotton fibers for application of the development of new smart textiles with photoluminescence properties that can remain glowing for a long time even when the lighting source is turned off. The lifetimes of phosphorescence and decay curves of spray-coated cotton fibers were studied. The results showed that the hardness and air permeability of the treated cotton fabric did not change significantly, indicating that the flexibility and air permeability of the fabric were maintained. The excellent reversibility, light stability and thermal stability of the sprayed cotton substrate make it very attractive in general applications such as warning textiles. However, there are many problems in the manuscript, and it is recommended to accept it after major modifications.
1. In the introduction section on the study of luminescent fiber materials and light sense, the following articles are important and authors are supposed to cite them.
InfoMat 2022; e12365. https://doi.org/10.1002/inf2.12365
Journal of Alloys and Compounds 2015, 641; 132-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.04.066
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 3, 2828–2836. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b16655
2. There are many grammar problems in the text, and it is recommended to polish the language. For example, line 78-79: Fabric penetrability through humidity and air, as well as photo- and thermal characteristics, would be adjusted as a result.
Line 83-85: we report the development of breathable, comfortable and flexible phosphorescent clothing using strontium aluminate phosphor as a luminous layer on cotton produced.
3. In Figure 2, what does the author want to explain by conducting the FTIR test? From the existing interpretation of the manuscript, I have no idea what the author wants to elaborate. The author should clearly explain the spectra changes of pristine and treated cellular fabrics and explain the specific significance.
4. It is suggested to add the phosphorescence emission spectra of spray-coated cotton substrates with all pigment concentration.
5. Compared with other smart warning textile products, what’s the advantages of the spray-coated cotton substrates in this manuscript? Especially what are the advantages in photoluminescence and good durability?
Comments for author File: 
Comments.docx
Author Response
Reviewer # 1:
This manuscript introduces a simple and facile photoluminescent and superhydrophobic smart cotton fibers for application of the development of new smart textiles with photoluminescence properties that can remain glowing for a long time even when the lighting source is turned off. The lifetimes of phosphorescence and decay curves of spray-coated cotton fibers were studied. The results showed that the hardness and air permeability of the treated cotton fabric did not change significantly, indicating that the flexibility and air permeability of the fabric were maintained. The excellent reversibility, light stability and thermal stability of the sprayed cotton substrate make it very attractive in general applications such as warning textiles. However, there are many problems in the manuscript, and it is recommended to accept it after major modifications.
- In the introduction section on the study of luminescent fiber materials and light sense, the following articles are important and authors are supposed to cite them.
InfoMat 2022; e12365. https://doi.org/10.1002/inf2.12365
Journal of Alloys and Compounds 2015, 641; 132-138.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.04.066
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 3, 2828–2836. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b16655
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendations. The recommended articles are very useful to our manuscript and were cited in the introduction part.
- There are many grammar problems in the text, and it is recommended to polish the language. For example, line 78-79: Fabric penetrability through humidity and air, as well as photo- and thermal characteristics, would be adjusted as a result.
Line 83-85: we report the development of breathable, comfortable and flexible phosphorescent clothing using strontium aluminate phosphor as a luminous layer on cotton produced.
Response: The manuscript language was completely revised by all authors and a native English speaker.
- In Figure 2, what does the author want to explain by conducting the FTIR test? From the existing interpretation of the manuscript, I have no idea what the author wants to elaborate. The author should clearly explain the spectra changes of pristine and treated cellular fabrics and explain the specific significance.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendation. The discussion of the FTIR spectra was revised for better clarification. Figure 2 displays FTIR spectra of the coated cotton samples. Cotton as natural fibers exhibit free terminal hydroxyl groups on cellulose polymer chains, which is made up of repeated glucose units. The characteristic FTIR spectral bands of blank cotton fabric were observed at 3387 cm-1 (hydroxyl stretching vibration), 2912 cm-1 (aliphatic C-H stretching vibration), 1699 cm-1 (moisture deformation vibration), 1314 cm-1 (aliphatic C-H binding vibration), and 1025 cm-1 (ether bond). After spray-coating cotton fabrics, the intensity of the hydroxyl stretching vibration was found to decrease with increasing the ratio of REANPs. This could be attributed to a coordination bond formation between the cellulose hydroxyl group and the aluminum element of REA. Other absorption bands were detected at 711, 560 and 422 cm−1 due to the lattice vibrations from Al-O, Sr-O and O-Al-O, respectively [37].
- It is suggested to add the phosphorescence emission spectra of spray-coated cotton substrates with all pigment concentration.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendation. The authors apologize as there are no available samples to study their emission spectra. Additionally, the raw materials required for the synthesis of the phosphor particles are not available. It will take a very long time to import those raw materials. Figure 3 shows UV-induced emission spectra of the sprayed cotton (8 wt%) after exposure to ultraviolet rays for 10 and 80 seconds. It was monitored that the emission intensity increases with increasing the UV irradiation time, indicating irradiation time-dependent emission intensity. Under UV irradiation, it was observed that all spray-coated cellulosic fabrics displayed reversible phosphorescence. The phosphorescence with delayed reversibility was obtained for spray-coated cotton substrates with pigment concentration more than 1%. The ultraviolet source was shut off after 5 min of irradiation (λ = 365 nm) at ambient temperature, phosphorescent emission was measured as a function of time.
- Compared with other smart warning textile products, what’s the advantages of the spray-coated cotton substrates in this manuscript? Especially what are the advantages in photoluminescence and good durability?
Response: As reported in section “3.2. Superhydrophobic properties”; the present approach can well be described as a simple and low-cost treatment method that can be used without the requirement of complicated apparatus or extensive procedures. Furthermore, the present straightforward process can be used to make afterglow and hydrophobic textile products for a variety of protective applications, including tents and ultraviolet protective textiles. Owing to their hydrophobic nature, silicone-coated fabrics have the capacity to permeate oil whilst holding water. As a result, the current technology can be utilized to create hydrophobic fabrics with the ability to separate water and oil. Also described in the conclusion part; the spray-coated cotton substrates' outstanding reversibility, as well as photo and thermal stability made them intriguing for general applications like warning textiles. As a result, such technique can be considered as an inventive, facile, and substantial method that opens up new outlook in the design of effective warning smart textiles, notably for protection and aesthetic/decorative initiatives.
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear Authors,
Please find the enclosed file.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Reviewer # 2:
Comments to Author
Dear author,
Please address the following points for better understanding of reader.
Abstract:
Comment 1:
Authors may consider a slight modification in Title such as “UV-sensitive Photoluminescent spray-coated textile” if they find it suitable.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendation. The title of manuscript was revised to “Ultraviolet-sensitive photoluminescent spray-coated textile”.
Comment 2:
Line 14: “ temperature vulcanizing silicone rubber (RTV) why the authors are using the mentioned abbreviation for the term?
Response: Thanks for the reviewer observation. RTV is a well known abbreviation for temperature vulcanizing silicone rubber. Please see references bellow:
Wang, Guangfei, Anling Li, Wen Zhao, Zehua Xu, Yongwei Ma, Fangyuan Zhang, Yanbin Zhang, Jin Zhou, and Qiang He. "A review on fabrication methods and research progress of superhydrophobic silicone rubber materials." Advanced Materials Interfaces 8, no. 1 (2021): 2001460.
Zhang, Jinshuai, Shiwen Du, Zheng Wang, Libing Qian, Chunqing He, Zhen Huang, Xiangyang Peng, Hu Xu, and Pengfei Fang. "Prominently enhanced corrosive gas NO2 resistibility for silicone rubber composite coatings by incorporation of functional g-C3N4 nanosheets." Progress in Organic Coatings 157 (2021): 106292.
Khattab, Tawfik A., Salwa Mowafi, and Hosam El-Sayed. "Development of mechanically durable hydrophobic lanolin/silicone rubber coating on viscose fibers." Cellulose 26, no. 17 (2019): 9361-9371.
Nazir, Muhammad Tariq, Arslan Khalid, Imrana Kabir, Cheng Wang, Juan-Carlos Baena, Shakeel Akram, Muhammad Shoaib Bhutta, Ghulam Yasin, Bao Toan Phung, and Guan Heng Yeoh. "Flame Retardancy and Excellent Electrical Insulation Performance of RTV Silicone Rubber." Polymers 13, no. 17 (2021): 2854.
Li, Anling, Guangfei Wang, Yongwei Ma, Chaoyue Zhao, Fangyuan Zhang, Qiang He, and Fengwei Zhang. "Study on preparation and properties of superhydrophobic surface of RTV silicone rubber." Journal of Materials Research and Technology 11 (2021): 135-143.
Comment 3:
Line 16: what kind of formula it is? An emulsion? REANPs@RTV formula
Response: Thanks for the reviewer feedback. It is REANPs@RTV composite formula.
Comment 4:
Line 17: CIE Lab values? What kind of values these are? Authors should provide the full form of abbreviations at first citation.
Response: The full form of abbreviations was given at first citation. The CIE (Commission Internationale de L'éclairage) color coordinates include L* to represents lightness from 100 for white to 0 for black, a* represents color ratio from green(+a*) to red(-a*), and b* represents color ratio from yellow (+b*) to blue (-b*).
Introduction
Comment 5:
Authors should remove grammatical errors, some examples are;
Line 43: including like, authors should remove the grammatical error.
Line 44.photoluminescent colorings are enclosed adaptable rigid solid or liquids, needs grammatical check
Line 55: to switch sulfide phosphors with a mul- tiplicity of implementations: needs grammatical check.
Line 56: strontium aluminate phosphors are being used to switch sulfide phosphors with a mul- tiplicity of implementations, this sentence needs rephrasing.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendations. The manuscript language was completely revised by all authors and a native English speaker.
Line 76-77: Ribbons that are prominently displayed on fluorescent garments as safety vests are now cruel, inflexible, with low permeable features, authors should also provide the reason here.
Response: Statement was revised for better clarification. Organic dyestuff-based fluorescent ribbons have been used on clothes, such as traffic and night work textiles, as safety vests. They have showed drawbacks, such as high stiffness, low air-permeability, poor photo- and thermal properties, low durability, and low colorfastness [29, 30]. Thus, the comfort properties of warning fabrics are important parameters.
Authors should also mention if there are some harmful effects associated with spray coating along with protection measures.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendation. As reported in the introduction section; lanthanide-doped aluminates have been characterized by non-toxicity, sustainable, and non-radioactive properties [20-25].
Comment 6:
Experimental
Line 115: “symbols” better to state it as sample code.
Line 118: “The above-prepared nanocomposites were then sprayed-coated onto bleached cotton fabrics (25 x 25 cm)”. Which precautions were taken to target the spray area only?
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendation. At a speed of 3 cm/s, the spraying nozzle was eventually moved above the whole cotton material.
Line 116: The specimens were then air-dried for 30 min on a clean flat surface.
How the spray fumes were controlled? Was it applied in fume hood or special area is required for this?
Response: Thanks for the reviewer observation. The specimens were air-dried for 30 min in the fume hood.
Comment 7:
Results and Discussion
The caption of Fig 5 “Emission ratio at 516 nm; concentration of pigment was 8 wt%” needs revision.
The captions of figures should be well explained.
Response: Thanks for the reviewer observation. The captions of figures were completely revised.
Reviewer 3 Report
It was my pleasure to review the manuscript entitled: Photoluminiscent spray-coated textile able to sence ultraviolet light.
The manuscript is written well with good and undestandable english. However, I have some comments or maybe questions.
- Did the authors prepared lot of samples with various concentration of pigments. However, I do not understand why for SEM analysis S0 and S10 were selected and then only S8 was analyzed by EDX spectroscopy. Why did you select these samples? It is possible analyse also S0 by EDX? Could you show SEM images of all the samples at one magnitude?
- In methods is written that the antibacterial activity was assessed by S. typhimurium and S. aureus. However in results in table 6. you discuss E.coli, S aureus and C. albican. So what bacteria were used for antibacterial analysis in the end?
Thank you.
Author Response
Reviewer # 3:
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
It was my pleasure to review the manuscript entitled: Photoluminiscent spray-coated textile able to sence ultraviolet light.
The manuscript is written well with good and undestandable english. However, I have some comments or maybe questions.
- Did the authors prepared lot of samples with various concentration of pigments. However, I do not understand why for SEM analysis S0 and S10 were selected and then only S8 was analyzed by EDX spectroscopy. Why did you select these samples? It is possible analyse also S0 by EDX? Could you show SEM images of all the samples at one magnitude?
Response: Thanks for the reviewer recommendations. Both of S0 and S10 were studied as the lowest and highest concentration of REANPs, respectively. However, the best colorimetric data was monitored at a pigment phosphor concentration of 8% as reported in section 3.3. Thus, according to the colorimetric results, we have selected the best/optimum samples to explore the morphological properties.
- In methods is written that the antibacterial activity was assessed by S. typhimurium and S. aureus. However in results in table 6. you discuss E.coli, S aureus and C. albican. So what bacteria were used for antibacterial analysis in the end?
Response: Thank you so much for the reviewer observation. The authors apologize for such unintended typo mistake. The treated cellulosic fabrics were assessed for their antimicrobial activities versus S. E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albican.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
All the issues I proposed in the previous round are well resolved.
Reviewer 3 Report
The manuscript has been improved. The results are clear now. I recommend the manuscript for publishing.
