Evaluation on Thermal Protection Performance of TiO₂@ATO Coated Aramid Nonwoven

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

In this study, different shapes of TiO2 coated with ATO have been presented by using high refraction in Vis-NIR range of TiO2@ATO. The thermal insulation mechanism and performance of different composited nonwovens have been studied by measuring the values of thermal protection performance. The topic of the research is interesting and novel. It can be considered for publication after clarifying the following issues:

1- The English language of the article should be improved. There are some grammatical errors within the text of the article that should be corrected. For example: in line 12, "Different shapes" should be used instead of "different shape" or in the same line, "were introduced" is correct not "was introduced". The whole of the text should be grammatically and lexically double-checked. 

2- The main contribution and highlights of the present study should be clarified in the abstract. 

3- The literature review of the article can be improved by adding some more relevant and recent research. 

4- The conclusion part should be clarified more. The main results which have been only obtained from the present study should be presented in this part. 

5- The complete form of some abbreviations should be provided, like TEM, XRD and etc.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript of coatings-1694655 entitled “Evaluation on Thermal Protection Performance of TiO2@ATO Coated Aramid Nonwoven”. The manuscript in its current form lacked technical research writing techniques which are essential for publication purposes. The materials are not specific as well. The authors must specify the purity and where it was procured from for it to be reproducible or prove its efficacy. Furthermore, the instrumentation used lacked in detail in the brand and methodology. A strong justification of the chosen parameters and levels must be discussed. For the results and discussion, there is a severe lack of scientific discussion. I would recommend major revisions prior to possible publication.

Other comments for consideration for the next submission:

1. Acronyms: Define acronyms when they first appear and there is no need to define acronyms if they are no longer used in the manuscript; in a clearer way, no need to define acronyms if they no longer reappear in the abstract and text; abstract and text are independent, i.e., redefine in the text even you have done so in abstract.
2. In the last paragraph in section 1. Introduction, please underscore the gap and novelty of the study.
3. Please underscore the scientific value-added of your paper in your abstract and introduction.
4. Please make sure your conclusions section underscores the scientific value-added of your paper.
5. There should be no lumping of references.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors proposed different sizes of TiO2 coated with antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO/non-woven aramid (AN) instead of commercial 19 nano-ATO for clothing and thermal protection architecture. This idea is interesting but here suffers from novelty as similar work is provided in reference 18. Authors should prepare a figure of merit which schematically shows the original steps were performed The manuscript in its current form is confusing and seems that some parts are just reproduced from ref 18. In addition, studies on the cytotoxic effects of the used nanomaterials in contact with the skin should be provided.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Dear Authors, 

The aramid-based thermal protection materials under consideration are an attractive solution for protecting fabrics against heat damage. In turn, the additional use of titanium dioxide enhances the characteristics of the resulting material. The work presented by the authors comprehensively covers the study of the resulting composite structures. In addition, the improvement in the mechanical properties of the composite material compared to the original nonwoven fabric seems remarkable. It seems to be interesting that the tensile strength of the resulting composite, on the one hand, should be influenced by the percentage of filler. On the other hand, the change in filter concentration does not have such a significant impact as, apparently, the specificity of each specimen fabrication.
Overall, in my opinion, this work opens up tremendous possibilities for the development of the subject of heat resistant non-wovens materials.

Author Response

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Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

All of the comments were sufficiently answered. 

Reviewer 3 Report

Authors should provide cytotoxic studies using the synthesized nanoparticles because direct skin contact with wounds may facilitate entry into the body or severe/unexplainable allergies. In its current form, the publication is not recommended for publication in Coatings journal.