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Polymers
Special Issues
Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile
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Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 22091

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jinfeng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong/Melbourne, Victoria 3216, Australia
Interests: sustainability; nature fibre; odour control; functional fibre; photocatalysis
Dr. Bin Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Melbourne/Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Interests: fibrous material; surface modification; wearable sensor; colorimetric sensing; functional dyeing
Prof. Yan Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: special wettability; porous materials; textiles; fibres; interfaces

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on functional fibrous materials is targeting the emerging multi-billion dollar wearable technology industry and high-value applications in smart textiles. Recent exciting progress in this area includes the development of novel fibres based on nanomaterials that combine lightweight, strength and electrical properties for powering portable electronics, embedded circuits, and sensing applications.

This collection aims to report the latest important advances across the entire supply chain of smart textiles, from the development of materials to advanced processing technologies and, ultimately, to the fabrication of embedded technologies. This research topic welcomes the submission of original research, state-of-the-art reviews, and perspectives on the latest developments in functional fibrous materials.  

This collection editor team is committed and motivated. All the team members have a keen interest in fibre and textile research, and have worked in this field for over 10 years, in both fundamental and applied research.

Prof. Dr. Jinfeng Wang
Dr. Bin Tang
Prof. Yan Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart textiles
  • fibrous materials
  • sustainability
  • functional fibres

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4731 KiB  
Article
Electromagnetic Interference Shielding of Metal Coated Ultrathin Nonwoven Fabrics and Their Factorial Design
by Sundaramoorthy Palanisamy, Veronika Tunakova, Shi Hu, Tao Yang, Dana Kremenakova, Mohanapriya Venkataraman, Michal Petru and Jiri Militky
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040484 - 3 Feb 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3113
Abstract
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is everywhere in this world and galaxy in different forms and levels. In some cases, human beings need to protect themselves from electromagnetic radiations and the same thing is also recommended for electronic devices as well. Lots of studies are [...] Read more.
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is everywhere in this world and galaxy in different forms and levels. In some cases, human beings need to protect themselves from electromagnetic radiations and the same thing is also recommended for electronic devices as well. Lots of studies are there on the shielding of electromagnetic radiation interference using metals, polymers, and minerals. For protecting the human being, textile structures are playing the main role. In the textile material structure itself many types are there; each one is having its unique geometrical shape and design. In this work, the copper/nickel-coated ultrathin nonwoven fabric is prepared like a strip. The 3, 6, and 9 mm thick strips are prepared and laid at different gaps, angles, and layered to study the effect of factors on EM shielding effectiveness as per ASTM D4935-10 standard. The design of experiment has been done to analyze the three factors and three levels of the strip properties having an influence on electromagnetic shielding results. From the findings of the design of experiment (DoE) screening design, the factors are the thickness of the strips, the gap between the strips, and the strips laid angle having a statistically significant effect on electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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17 pages, 5344 KiB  
Article
Bicomponent Carbon Fibre within Woven Fabric for Protective Clothing
by Stana Kovačević, Snježana Brnada, Ivana Schwarz and Ana Kiš
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 2824; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12122824 - 27 Nov 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2265
Abstract
For the purpose of this research, six types of woven fabrics with different proportions of bicomponent carbon fibres (CF), differently distributed in the fabric, were woven and tested. Fibre composition in the core and sheath was determined with X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Two types [...] Read more.
For the purpose of this research, six types of woven fabrics with different proportions of bicomponent carbon fibres (CF), differently distributed in the fabric, were woven and tested. Fibre composition in the core and sheath was determined with X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Two types of bicomponent CF were selected which are characterised by different proportions of carbon and other polymers in the fibre core and sheath and different cross-sections of the fibres formed during chemical spinning. Physical-mechanical properties were investigated, as well as deformations of fabrics after 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 cycles under biaxial cyclic stress on a patented device. Tests of the surface and vertical electrostatic resistance from fabric front to back side and from the back side to the fabric front were conducted. According to the obtained results and statistical analyses, it was concluded that the proportion of CF affects the fabric’s physical and mechanical properties, the electrostatic resistance as well as the deformations caused by biaxial cyclic stresses. A higher proportion of CF in the fabric and a higher proportion of carbon on the fibre surface, gave lower electrostatic resistance, i.e., better conductivity, especially when CFs are woven in the warp and weft direction. The higher presence of CF on the front of the fabric, as a consequence of the weave, resulted in a lower surface electrostatic resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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15 pages, 2136 KiB  
Article
Design of pH Responsive Textile as a Sensor Material for Acid Rain
by Viktor Stojkoski and Mateja Kert
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2251; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12102251 - 30 Sep 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3977
Abstract
The chemical composition of rainwater can serve as an indicator of the excess of acidifying air pollutants. The pH value of rainwater in the presence of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the precursors of acid rain, falls below pH 5.6, which is the [...] Read more.
The chemical composition of rainwater can serve as an indicator of the excess of acidifying air pollutants. The pH value of rainwater in the presence of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the precursors of acid rain, falls below pH 5.6, which is the limit value for acid rain. In this research, the tailoring of halochromic textile was examined for the design of a functional textile that can serve as a sensor and inform the wearer about the presence of pollutants in the air by means of an immediate colour change. For this purpose, a polyamide 6 fabric was dyed with the pH-sensitive Bromocresol green dye, which causes a colour change below pH 3.6 (yellow) and above pH 5.4 (blue). In addition, the dyed polyamide 6 fabric was treated with a water and oil repellent finish. Colour and colour change before and after immersion of unfinished and finished dyed samples in buffer solutions with different pH values were evaluated spectrophotometrically using the CIELAB colour space. The colour fastness to rubbing, washing, and light, and the water and oil repellency of the dyed fabrics were determined according to valid SIST EN ISO standards. The results showed that the unfinished dyed polyamide 6 fabric undergoes a reversible colour change faster and more clearly than the finished dyed polyamide 6 fabric. The dyed polyamide 6 fabric had good colour fastness to rubbing and domestic and commercial laundering, while the colour fastness to light was poor. In addition, the dyed polyamide 6 fabric was pH-sensitive, despite dye degradation under xenon light, regardless of whether it was finished. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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16 pages, 4956 KiB  
Article
Resistance against Penetration of Electromagnetic Radiation for Ultra-light Cu/Ni-Coated Polyester Fibrous Materials
by Kai Yang, Aravin Prince Periyasamy, Mohanapriya Venkataraman, Jiri Militky, Dana Kremenakova, Josef Vecernik and Roman Pulíček
Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2029; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092029 - 5 Sep 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3132
Abstract
Resistance against penetration of various rays including electromagnetic waves (EM), infrared rays (IR), and ultraviolet rays (UV) has been realized by using copper (Cu)-coated fabrics. However, the corrosion of the Cu on coated fabrics influenced the shielding effectiveness of the various rays. Besides, [...] Read more.
Resistance against penetration of various rays including electromagnetic waves (EM), infrared rays (IR), and ultraviolet rays (UV) has been realized by using copper (Cu)-coated fabrics. However, the corrosion of the Cu on coated fabrics influenced the shielding effectiveness of the various rays. Besides, the metal-coated fabrics have high density and are unbreathable. This work aims to solve the problem by incorporating nickel (Ni) into the Cu coating on the ultra-light polyester fibrous materials (Milife® composite nonwoven fabric—10 g/m2, abbreviation Milife) via electroless plating. The electromagnetic interference (EMI), IR test, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), water contact angle, and air permeability of the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric were measured. All the samples were assumed as ultra-light and breathable by obtaining the similar fabric density (~10.57 g/m2) and large air permeability (600–1050 mm/s). The Cu/Ni deposition on the Milife fabrics only covered the fibers. The EM shielding effectiveness (SE) decreased from 26 to 20 dB, the IR reflectance (Rinfrared) decreased from 0.570 to 0.473 with increasing wNi from 0 to 19.5 wt %, while the wNi improved the UPF from 9 to 48. Besides, addition of Ni changed the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric from hydrophilicity to the hydrophobicity by observing WCA from 77.7° to 114°. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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14 pages, 2229 KiB  
Article
The Efficacy of Polymer Coatings for the Protection of Electroless Copper Plated Polyester Fabric
by Alenka Ojstršek, Natalija Virant, Daryl Fox, Latha Krishnan and Andrew Cobley
Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1277; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061277 - 3 Jun 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4371
Abstract
The selective metallisation of textiles is becoming a very important process in the development of electronic or e-textiles. This study investigated the efficacy of polymer coatings for the protection of copper (Cu) conductive tracks electroless plated on polyester (PES) fabric against laundering and [...] Read more.
The selective metallisation of textiles is becoming a very important process in the development of electronic or e-textiles. This study investigated the efficacy of polymer coatings for the protection of copper (Cu) conductive tracks electroless plated on polyester (PES) fabric against laundering and rubbing, without essentially affecting the physical-mechanical and optical properties of the base material. After the electroless deposition of a consistent layer of Cu onto PES, four polymers were applied individually by screen-printing or padding. The physical-mechanical characterisation of coated textiles revealed that polyurethane resin (PUR) and modified acrylate resin (AR) had little effect on the air permeability, tensile strength and breaking tenacity of the PES, as compared to silicone elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and epoxy resin (ER). On the other hand, PUR and PDMS had higher abrasion resistance and photo-stability under prolonged UV irradiation, as compared to AR and ER. In addition, freshly Cu plated samples were coated with polymers, washed up to 30 cycles and characterised by measuring their electrical resistivity, determination of colour changes and the examination of the surface morphology. Based on these results, PUR presented the most suitable protection of Cu tracks on PES, with the lowest impact on physical-mechanical properties. ER is not recommended to be used for protection of Cu tracks on fabrics, due to its rigidity, low photo-stability, washing and wear durability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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11 pages, 4431 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Performance of Ultra-Fine Polypropylene Antibacterial Fibers via Melt Electrospinning
by Qiu-Sheng Li, Hong-Wei He, Zuo-Ze Fan, Ren-Hai Zhao, Fu-Xing Chen, Rong Zhou and Xin Ning
Polymers 2020, 12(3), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030606 - 6 Mar 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4595
Abstract
Polypropylene (PP) fibers are employed commonly as the raw material of technical textiles (nonwovens), and the research focuses on fine-denier fibers and their functionalities. In this work, antibacterial PP masterbatches with different dosage (1–5 wt.%) of nano-ZnO particles as the antibacterial agent were [...] Read more.
Polypropylene (PP) fibers are employed commonly as the raw material of technical textiles (nonwovens), and the research focuses on fine-denier fibers and their functionalities. In this work, antibacterial PP masterbatches with different dosage (1–5 wt.%) of nano-ZnO particles as the antibacterial agent were prepared via a twin-screw extruder. The as-prepared PP masterbatches were electrospun on a home-made electrospinning device to afford ultra-fine PP fibers. The morphologies of as-spun ultrathin PP fibers with 16 μm of average diameter were observed by SEM. The structure and element distribution were characterized by means of energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier-transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. There was some zinc obviously distributed on the surface when a dosage of ZnO more than 1 wt.% was used, which contributed to the antibacterial activity. The crystallinity of PP fibers was not affected strongly by the dosage of ZnO based on the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating curves, while thermal decomposition improved with the increase in ZnO content, and the mechanical strength decreased predictably with the increase in inorganic ZnO content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Fibrous Materials and Smart Textile)
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