From Functional Polymers to Textiles: Materials, Methods and Future Prospects

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2023) | Viewed by 7775

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technology, School of Textile Science and Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China
Interests: acoustic textiles; functional fibers and textiles; sound absorption; surface functionalization of fibers; textile finishing; polymer composites; organic/inorganic hybrid materials
Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Songjiang District, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: knitting technology and products; flexible electronic sensor; air filter; biomedical textiles; functional composite nanofibers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Textiles, being an essential element in the history of human development, can effectively improve daily living conditions. In the past few decades, people have become increasingly concerned about the functionality of textiles. Functional textiles are a type of functional fiber or fabric, exhibiting unique functionality in specific academic or industrial areas. This Special Issue, “Functional Textiles: Materials, Methods, and Future Prospects”, is dedicated to the recent developments made regarding functional textiles, including, but not limited to, mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, acoustical, magnetic, antimicrobic, anti-ultraviolet, electromagnetic interference shielding, photo/electro-catalysis, flame-retardant, and ultra-hydrophobic, etc. The functional finishing methods for fibrous materials, structural functionality, and multi-functionality of textiles are welcomed topics. Furthermore, the synthesis and characterization of functional materials is also considered a relevant topic which can be included in this Special Issue. Thus, critical review articles, papers, and communications are welcome.

Dr. Xiaoning Tang
Dr. Shaoju Fu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Basic physical properties of polymer fibers (mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, acoustical, and magnetic, etc.)
  • Novel functionality of polymers (antimicrobic, anti-ultraviolet, electromagnetic interference shielding, photo/electro-catalysis, flame-retardant, and ultra-hydrophobic, etc.)
  • Functional finishing of polymers matrix to produce textiles (physical, chemical, and biological modification, etc.)
  • Structural design to achieve the functionality of polymers (nanofiber, elasticity of core-spun yarn, filtration of nonwovens, tractility of knitted fabrics, etc.)
  • Multi-functionality and promising applications

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 17840 KiB  
Article
Halochromic Silk Fabric as a Reversible pH-Sensor Based on a Novel 2-Aminoimidazole Azo Dye
by Ana Isabel Ribeiro, Bárbara Vieira, Cátia Alves, Bárbara Silva, Eugénia Pinto, Fátima Cerqueira, Renata Silva, Fernando Remião, Vasyl Shvalya, Uros Cvelbar, Jorge Padrão, Alice Maria Dias and Andrea Zille
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071730 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2147
Abstract
Textiles are important components for the development of lightweight and flexible displays useful in smart materials. In particular, halochromic textiles are fibrous materials with a color-changing ability triggered by pH variations mainly based on pH-sensitive dye molecules. Recently, a novel class of 2-aminoimidazole [...] Read more.
Textiles are important components for the development of lightweight and flexible displays useful in smart materials. In particular, halochromic textiles are fibrous materials with a color-changing ability triggered by pH variations mainly based on pH-sensitive dye molecules. Recently, a novel class of 2-aminoimidazole azo dyes was developed with distinct substituent patterns. In this work, silk fabric was functionalized through exhaustion for the first time with one of these dyes (AzoIz.Pip). The halochromic properties of the dye were assessed in an aqueous solution and after silk functionalization. The solutions and the fabrics were thoroughly analyzed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra, color strength (K/S), color difference (∆E), CIE L*a*b* coordinates, and the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). The dyeing process was optimized, and the halochromic performance (and reversibility) was assessed in universal Britton–Robinson buffers (ranging from pH 3 to 12) and artificial body fluids (acid and alkaline perspiration, and wound exudate). AzoIz.Pip showed vibrant colors and attractive halochromic properties with a hypsochromic shift from blue (557 nm) to magenta (536 nm) in aqueous buffered solutions. Similarly, the functionalized silk showed a shift in wavelength of the maximum K/S value from 590 nm to 560 nm when pH increases. The silk fabric showed a high affinity to AzoIz.Pip, and promoted additional color stabilization of the dye, avoiding color loss as observed when the dye is in solution at alkaline pH after 24 h. The color reversibility was effective up to the fourth cycle and the fastness tests denoted suitable results, except washing fastness. The cytotoxicity of the silk fabric extracts was assessed, depicting reduced viability of HaCaT cells to <70% only when the dye concentration in the fabric is higher or equal to 64 μg·mL−1. Nevertheless, lower concentrations were also very effective for the halochromic performance in silk. These materials can thus be a helpful tool for developing sensors in several sectors such as biomedicine, packaging, filtration, agriculture, protective apparel, sports, camouflage, architecture, and design. Full article
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11 pages, 3141 KiB  
Article
Three-Dimensional Modeling of Spun-Bonded Nonwoven Meso-Structures
by Zhenxia Ke, Lingjie Yu, Guanlin Wang, Runjun Sun, Mengqiu Zhu, Hanrui Dong, Yiqin Xu, Mengyue Ren, Sida Fu and Chao Zhi
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030600 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1592
Abstract
As a type of fiber system, nonwoven fabric is ideal for solid–liquid separation and air filtration. With the wide application of nonwoven filter materials, it is crucial to explore the complex relationship between its meso structure and filtration performance. In this paper, we [...] Read more.
As a type of fiber system, nonwoven fabric is ideal for solid–liquid separation and air filtration. With the wide application of nonwoven filter materials, it is crucial to explore the complex relationship between its meso structure and filtration performance. In this paper, we proposed a novel method for constructing the real meso-structure of spun-bonded nonwoven fabric using computer image processing technology based on the idea of a “point-line-body”. Furthermore, the finite element method was adopted to predict filtration efficiencies based on the built 3D model. To verify the effectiveness of the constructed meso-structure and simulation model, filtration experiments were carried out on the fabric samples under different pollution particle sizes and inlet velocities. The experimental results show that the trends observed in the simulation results are consistent with those of the experimental results, with a relative error smaller than 10% for any individual datum. Full article
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13 pages, 7364 KiB  
Article
The Programmable Design of Large-Area Piezoresistive Textile Sensors Using Manufacturing by Jacquard Processing
by SangUn Kim, TranThuyNga Truong, JunHyuk Jang and Jooyong Kim
Polymers 2023, 15(1), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15010078 - 25 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1869
Abstract
Among wearable e-textiles, conductive textile yarns are of particular interest because they can be used as flexible and wearable sensors without affecting the usual properties and comfort of the textiles. Firstly, this study proposed three types of piezoresistive textile sensors, namely, single-layer, double-layer, [...] Read more.
Among wearable e-textiles, conductive textile yarns are of particular interest because they can be used as flexible and wearable sensors without affecting the usual properties and comfort of the textiles. Firstly, this study proposed three types of piezoresistive textile sensors, namely, single-layer, double-layer, and quadruple-layer, to be made by the Jacquard processing method. This method enables the programmable design of the sensor’s structure and customizes the sensor’s sensitivity to work more efficiently in personalized applications. Secondly, the sensor range and coefficient of determination showed that the sensor is reliable and suitable for many applications. The dimensions of the proposed sensors are 20 × 20 cm, and the thicknesses are under 0.52 mm. The entire area of the sensor is a pressure-sensitive spot. Thirdly, the effect of layer density on the performance of the sensors showed that the single-layer pressure sensor has a thinner thickness and faster response time than the multilayer pressure sensor. Moreover, the sensors have a quick response time (<50 ms) and small hysteresis. Finally, the hysteresis will increase according to the number of conductive layers. Many tests were carried out, which can provide an excellent knowledge database in the context of large-area piezoresistive textile sensors using manufacturing by Jacquard processing. The effects of the percolation of CNTs, thickness, and sheet resistance on the performance of sensors were investigated. The structural and surface morphology of coating samples and SWCNTs were evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope. The structure of the proposed sensor is expected to be an essential step toward realizing wearable signal sensing for next-generation personalized applications. Full article
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11 pages, 3752 KiB  
Article
Model Development of a Hybrid Battery–Piezoelectric Fiber System Based on a New Control Method
by Mir Saeid Hesarian, Jafar Tavoosi and Tarek I. Alanazi
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5428; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245428 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1460
Abstract
By increasing the application of smart wearables, their electrical energy supply has drawn great attention in the past decade. Sources such as the human body and its motion can produce electrical power as renewable energy using piezoelectric yarns. During the last decade, the [...] Read more.
By increasing the application of smart wearables, their electrical energy supply has drawn great attention in the past decade. Sources such as the human body and its motion can produce electrical power as renewable energy using piezoelectric yarns. During the last decade, the development of the piezoelectric fibers used in smart clothes has increased for energy-harvesting applications. Therefore, the energy harvesting from piezoelectric yarns and saving process is an important subject. For this purpose, a new control system was developed based on the combination of the sliding mode and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Using this method, due to the piezoelectric yarn cyclic deformation process, electrical power is produced. This power is considered the input voltage to the controlling system modeled in this article. This system supplies constant voltage to be saved in a battery. The battery supplies power for the electrical elements of smart fabric structure for different applications, such as health care. It is shown that the presence of PSO led to the improvement of system response and error reduction by more than 30%. Full article
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