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Herein, Polyester woven fabrics as the matrices for the experimental group, while cotton knitted fabrics, cotton woven fabrics, and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mesh cloth used as the matrices for the control groups, at 40 °e, using 3,4-ethoxylene dioxy thiophene (EDOT)as the polymer monomer, FeCl3as the oxidant, and poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as the dopant, are separately coated with PEDOT:PSS polymer to prepare flexible conductive composite fabrics. The influences of the fabric pattern, oxidant concentration, and monomer concentration on the electrical performance of composite fabrics are optimized. The maximal electrical conductivity of PET-based composite fabrics (218 S/m) occurs when monomer concentration is 0.035 mol/L, the molar ratio of oxidant to monomer is 2.5, and the dopant concentration is 2.5 g/L. Moreover, bacteriostasis rate of this composite fabric reaches 71.8%. Furthermore, by electrocardiogram (ECG) simulated human body unit test as well as human body ECG test, the optimal PET-based composite fabric electrode both has a lower impedance which helps form the stabilized ECG signal. The resulting fabric electrodes retain the soft and breathable advantages from fabrics and reduce the discomfort for a long-term use of conventional electrographic gel, thereby validating the empirical evidence for mobile, portable, wearable ECG electrodes.

We have synthesized a flexible polyurethane foam composite filled with expanded vermiculite powder and covered by concave-convex structural panel in order to improve the compression and cushioning property of PU foam. Concave-convex structural panel is that fabric cubes consisting of three layers of warp-knitted spacer fabrics arranged isometric apart between two layers of low-melting-point PET fabrics and then thermally processed at 180 °C. Effects of particle size and content of expanded vermiculite powders as well as the presence of concave-convex structural panel are examined in terms of foam structure and mechanical properties of composite PU foams. Expanded vermiculite addition decreases the energy required by pore nucleation, and the higher content of expand vermiculite results in pore diameter of foam and greater compression property. Filling of 2% vermiculites makes the compression property improved by 239% at 40% strain. Moreover, the smaller size of expanded vermiculite generates smaller and denser foam pore diameter and thus strengthened compression property. Foam composite with 800-mesh expanded vermiculites show the excellent compression property that 307% higher than neat PU foam at 40% strain. Concave-convex structural panel enhanced compression properties by 852% when fabric cubes arranged 1 cm apart and cushion efficiency by 29% compared to pure PU foam when fabric cubes arranged 4 cm apart. The resultant flexible polyurethane foam can absorb 97% energy at 12 J impact level. This composite can serve as the protective materials in kindergarten and old people's home.

Medical product contamination is a serious threat to patients’ health. However, designing medical covers that ensure Janus performance and outstanding abrasion resistance, mechanical performances has remained a great challenge. In this study, a novel Janus nonwoven fabric nonwoven fabric consists of a hydrophilic inner layer of polylactic acid (PLA)/lowmelting polylactic acid (LPLA) and a coated outer layer of hydrophobic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is successfully fabricated. The subsequent PLA/LPLA-TPU textiles exhibits excellent protective performance of inner absorption. Moreover, the coating improves tensile strength and increases abrasion resistance. A mechanism of mechanical failure is further studied. This kind of nonwoven fabric is suggested to be a promising candidate for medical covers and health supplies.

To simply and effectively enhance the conversion capability of wearable thermoelectric textiles, a two-step in situ method is adopted to fabricate dual-shell photothermoelectric textiles which is made of polypropylene fibers with a photo-thermal layer (PPy) and a thermoelectric layer (PEDOT:Tos). The PPy is tailored to achieve high temperature and photothermoelectric effects. The PPy layer can significantly increase the photothermal conversion efficiencies of as-prepared fabric. The optimized photothermoelectric fabric can improve the generated voltage output from 294.13 to 536.47 μV under the infrared light, and its power density is up to 13.76 nW·m-2. A flexible photothermoelectric strip composed of as-prepared fabric coated with Ag particles and textile substrates with low thermal conductivity shows a voltage output of 2.25, 0.677, and 0.183 mV and a power output of 0.7031, 0.0636, and 0.0049 nW under IR light, sunlight, and on the arm, respectively. The photothermoelectric fabrics display potential as to a new smart wearable device for converting light and electricity.

Medical wound dressing with natural antibacterial efficacy is an important issue. However, few studies on Artemisia argyi oil based wound dressing have been studied because of the volatility of the Artemisia argyi oil. In this study, Artemisia argyi oil -microcapsules (AAO-MC)/PVC fibrous membrane were fabricated through emulsification-internal gelation and electrospinning method. The membranes were characterized by SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and particle diameter, hydrophilicity, breathability, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and antibacterial performance were evaluated. The results show that AAO-MC microcapsules excellent stability, and the slow-release property. Moreover, the prepared AAO-MC/PVC fibrous membrane indicated good WVT (72.47 g/(m²·h)), high hydrophilicity (30.5°), and outstanding antibacterial rate (94.3%). This study provides a new strategy to prepare microcapsule nanofibrous membrane with excellent performance and is suggested to be a promising candidate for medical wound dressings.

In this study, we prepared a graded buffer composite by using shear thickening fluid (STF) capsules, polyurethane (PU) foam, and low-melting point PET fabric or spacer fabric with improved energy absorption performance. Various graded buffer composites are fabricated including STF capsule/PU foam covered with PET fabric (SC/PU/PET-CM) and STF capsule/PU foam covered with warp-knitted spacer fabric (SC/PU/WKSF-CM). The thermal stability and the mechanical properties of the graded buffer composite were tested. After adding STF capsules, PU foam still has good thermal stability whose weight- loss temperature reaches 200 ℃; and the compression energy and buffer performance both increases. The compression energy of S4-STF/PU is 2.26 times than that of S4-PU and 5.65 times than that of pure PU foam. Among SC/PU/PET-CM samples, HP-STF/PU graded foam composite showed the lowest impact force (3833 N). Comparatively, among SC/PU/WKSF-CM samples, the buffer performance of S4-STF/PU shows the best, and the impact value is reduced to 3921 N, which is 848 N lower (17.7%) than that of PU foam. The composites can be used as an alternative material in the field of protection.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven fabrics, carbon fabrics (CF), and flexible polyurethane (PU) foams are made into novel sandwich composites using one-step molding. The flame retradance and mechanical properties of the sandwich composites are evaluated, examining the influences of the content of flame retardant agent (20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%) and areal density of PET panels (200, 300, and 400 g/m2). The test results show that the PET/CF/PU sandwich composites are rated flame retardant as V0 and do not generate melts. The failure mode of PET/CF/PU sandwich composites converts from overall fracture to layered fracture as a result of increasing the flame retardant agent. The tensile strength at break of PET/CF/PU sandwich composites with corresponding PET panels is 650 N for 200 g/m, 928 N for 300 g/m, and 1744 N for 400 g/m2, which are 42.63 %, 60.48 %, and 77.85 % greater than those of the PET/PU sandwich composites. Moreover, the bursting strength of PET/CF/PU sandwich composites with corresponding PET panels is 3322 N for 200 g/m2, 3869 N for 300 g/m2, and 4978 N for 400 g/m2, which are 195%, 180%, and 143% greater than those of the PET/PU sandwich composites.

In this study, functional woven and knitted fabrics consist of stainless steel (SS) composite yarns. SS fibers (0.06 mm) and 500 D polyester (PET) filaments are used as the core with 70 D bamboo charcoal (BC) nylon fibers that are being used as the sheath in order to form the functional SS composite yarns. The test results show that the double-layered knitted fabrics have the optimal far infrared (FIR) emissivity of 0.85 ε, while the five-layered composite woven fabrics at 90° lamination angle have the optimal electromagnetic shielding efficacy between −50 dB and −60 dB. It is anticipated that the functional fabrics can be used in protective cloth and safety appliance.

In order to deeply explore the fiber characteristics influencing on stab resistance of shear thickening fluid (STF)- impregnated fabrics, two different weaving fabrics, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric and Kevlar fabrics are saturate the various concentrations and particle size of STFs. Result shows that, SiO2/PEG-200 blends demonstrate quick shear-thickening property, and the critical shear rate lowers to 1.2-45 s-1 with higher concentration of 75 nm SiO2. STF concentration and particle size significantly affect spike puncture resistance property, but the knife stab resistance mainly depends on fiber characteristics. Comparatively, STF-UHMWPE composite fabrics exhibit better knife stab resistance but weaker spike puncture resistance than STF-Kevlar fabrics. This study can provide an optimization for structure design of stab resistance armors in the future.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) has become a public hazard to people&rsquo, s lives and health. Traditional melt-blown membranes cannot filter dangerous particles due to their limited diameter, and ultra-fine electrospinning fibers are vulnerable to external forces. Therefore, creating highly efficient air filters by using an innovative technique and structure has become necessary. In this study, a combination of polypropylene (PP) melt-blown and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/zeolite imidazole frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) electrospinning technique is employed to construct a PP/PVA/ZIF-8 membrane with a hierarchical fibrous structure. The synergistic effect of hierarchical fibrous structure and ZIF-8 effectively captures PM2.5. The PP/PVA composite membrane loaded with 2.5% loading ZIF-8 has an average filtration efficacy reaching as high as 96.5% for PM2.5 and quality factor (Qf) of 0.099 Pa&minus, 1. The resultant membrane resists 33.34 N tensile strength and has a low pressure drop, excellent filtration efficiency, and mechanical strength. This work presents a facile preparation method that is suitable for mass production and the application of membranes to be used as air filters for highly efficient filtration of PM2.5.

This study aims to develop nanofibrous membranes where Eucalyptus globules oil (EGO) is wrapped in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The EGO-based nanofibrous membranes are then evaluated for the protection against Forcipomyia taiwana (F. taiwana). In the first stage, the PVA solutions are formulated with different concentrations and are measured for viscosity and electrical conductivity. In the next stage, PVA solution and EGO are blended at different ratios and electrospun into PVA/EGO nanofibrous membranes (i.e., EGO-based repellent). In this study, a PVA concentration of 14 wt% has a positive influence on fiber formation. Furthermore, the finest nanofibers of 291 nm are presented when the voltage is 15 kV. The repellent efficacy can reach 80% in a 60-min release when the repellent is composed of a PVA/oil ratio of 90/10. To sum up, the nanofibrous membranes of essential oil exhibit good repellent efficacy against F. taiwana and significant slow-release effect, instead of adversely affecting the cell viability.

Engineering design and academic research have been paying more attention to low impact development (LID), one prime development of which is geotextiles. This study uses friction to unwind filament ...

Drug-resistant pathogens render tremendous pressure and challenges on the development of biomedical materials with highly efficient barrier and long-lasting antibacterial efficacy. Herein, this study combined metal–organic framework (zeolite imidazolate framework 8 [ZIF-8]) and melt blowing–electrospinning method to construct the bead-on-string structure of PPCL@PDA/TAEG/PCL/ZIF8 hierarchical micro/nanofibrous composite membranes with rechargeable, antibacterial, and high-efficiency filtration properties. The incorporation of bead-on-string structure provides the PPCL@PDA/TAEG/PCL/ZIF8–9 composite membranes with above 99.9% filtration efficiency against ultrafine particles larger than 500 nm in diameter. Moreover, the composite membrane quickly releases reactive oxygen species under daylight conditions. The release amount after charging for 1 h is 13009.41 μg/g for •OH and 405.72 μg/g for H2O2. The composite membranes retain 89.9% and 65.1% of the original charging capacities of •OH and H2O2, respectively, after seven cycles. These membranes also show greater antibacterial activity, and the sterilizing rates against S. aureus and E. coli reach 99% and 95%, respectively, in daytime and nighttime. These daylight-driven rechargeable micro/nanofibrous membranes can be used in the development of reusable medical protective materials with highly efficient filtration and daylight-driven rechargeable antibacterial efficacy.

With the expanding utilization and development electronic devices, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with good flexibility and lightweight have been desired to eliminate the radiation pollution. However, many EMI shielding materials are usually limited in practical application due to the large thickness and poor mechanical properties. Herein, ultra-thin and lightweight conductive composite films with both unique undulating layered structure and sandwich structure were constructed via a simple solution dip-coating method. The PAN@TiO2 (PT) film as a substrate endowed the Ti3C2Tx film a certain strength, the polydopamine was decorated on the PT film surface to enhance the combination fastness of the PT film and Ti3C2Tx, and the Ti3C2Tx sheets built a conductive network. The conductive composite film (high tensile strength of 93.55 MPa) possessed an average EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 32 dB and a specific SE of 4085.92 dB cm2/g owing to their excellent electrical conductivity of 92.68 S/cm. The bio-inspired strategy provides a promising approach in fabricating flexible and ultrathin composite materials for highly efficient EMI shielding applications. Furthermore, this strategy offers a feasible idea for preparing multifunctional films.

Increasing oily wastewater is produced by various industrial, various oil-water separation technologies and materials have been developed to solve this issue. A facile method is proposed to build multi-scaled and hierarchical membranes with efficiently oil/water separation and photocatalysis. The multi-scaled, hierarchical membrane is fabricated by a hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospinning nanofibrous and PAN/TiO2 electrospraying spheres, then the polydopamine (PDA) decorated membrane via in-situ growth. This multi-scaled, hierarchical structure endows the membrane with superhydrophilicity (water contact angle ∼ 0°), and underwater superoleophobicity (oil contact angle ∼152°). And the multi-scaled, hierarchical membrane shows superior water permeation and hydrophilic properties than pure PAN membranes. In addition, the membrane indicates an excellent photocatalytic ability for organic pollutant (∼98 %). And after 5 cycles, the water flux still maintains a high level showing good recyclability. This multi-scaled, hierarchical nanofibrous membrane shows very promising application potentials in oil-water separation and photocatalysis.

With the rapid development of wearable devices, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with good flexibility and high conductivity have been desired to eliminate resulting radiation pollution. Herein, a lightweight and flexible PAN@Ni@PPy@PFDT (PNP@PPy@PFDT) film with core-shell structure and self-cleaning property is constructed for EMI shielding application via layer-by-layer self-assembly strategy to realize oxidative polymerization of pyrrole under low-temperature environment. Polydopamine (PDA) is first decorated on the PN nanofiber to improve the interface compatibility and hence promote the uniform deposition of PPy nanoparticles (PPy-NPs). After further treatment with fluorine containing molecules, the conductive PNP@PPy film becomes superhydrophobic and self-cleaning. The contact angle of the composite films can reach 155°. The composite films show high conductivity up to 291S/m and high specific shielding effectiveness up to 4479 dB cm2g−1, which is attributed to the conductive core-shell structure and enhanced absorption with the hierarchical structure of the films. This strategy is of great significance for the manufacture of multifunctional composite films to achieve efficient EMI shielding performance and broaden the practical application of conductive materials.

Inspired by worm morphology, this study report a low-cost and facile synthesis approach to construct a worm-like P-type flexible thermoelectric material—poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):p-toluenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:Tos) coated polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics via low-temperature interfacial polymerization. This as-prepared thermoelectric fabric made of fibers with a core-shell structure has an electrical conductivity of 2.19 S/cm and the Seebeck coefficient of 16.15 μV K−1 at a temperature difference of 30 °C. Furthermore, it presents good mechanical and washing stability by bending and ultrasonic test. A thermoelectric device designed of five pairs of thermoelectric material (p-type) and copper wire (n-type) generates 0.512 mV voltage at a temperature difference of 10 °C. This thermoelectric device has a prospect in the application of portable and interactive devices. This study proposes an easy way to manufacture bioinspired thermoelectric fabric with high thermoelectric performance and high potential applications, such as in wearable and flexible sensors.

Oil/water separation has become an urgent issue in environmental protection. Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membrane is promising materials for effective oil/water separation. In this paper, a novel oil/water separation nonwoven fabric with robust tensile strength and hydrophilic-underwater superoleophobic is successfully fabricated. This nonwoven fabric using low melt point polyester (LPET) fibers with a unique sheath-core structure to incorporate thermal bonding as reinforcement. Moreover, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) dip-coated is also employed to modify the nonwoven fabrics to acquire the hydrophilic-underwater superoleophobic properties. The mechanical property, microstructure, water and underwater oil contact angle, and oil/water separation properties of PP/LPET nonwoven fabrics are measured, examining the effects of LPET fiber ratio and PNIPAM concentration. The test results show that an improvement in the mechanical properties after increasing the LPET content. The coated of PNIPAM endows the nonwoven fabric with a low water contact angle of from 80 ° to 0 ° (within 8 s), and underwater superoleophobicity with a high oil contact angle of 150 ° . This nonwoven fabric can effective separation oil/water mixture with high permeate flux (∼21850 L ∙ m−2 ∙ h−1) and high separation efficiency (∼99%), solely driven by gravity. This kind of nonwoven fabrics is suggested as a promising candidate for oil/water separation and water purification.

Electromagnetic pollution often interferes with nearby electronic equipment and poses a serious threat to the health of people. There is an urgent need to develop soft and lightweight electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. In this study, a layer-by-layer self-assembly strategy was used implemented to prepare PAN@Ag@PDA@PPy (PAP@PPy) films with unique core-shell and sandwich composite microstructures for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Results showed that the conductivity of the composite films was the highest at 898.72 S/m after in situ polymerization of pyrrole at low temperatures. The mechanical properties of the conductive films also increased from the initial 16.81 MPa to 22.54 MPa. The average shielding effectiveness (SE) and SSE/t of the composite films with two layers reached as high as 23.81 dB and 6764.20 dB cm2 g−1, respectively. This performance was caused originates from by the layer structure of the PAN film and multiple internal reflections from the interconnected core-shells and sandwich microstructures in of the PAP@PPy films. Therefore, this work study gave provides a new novel strategy for fabricating conductive polymer composites (CPCs) with high-performance EMI shielding.

Medical product contamination is a seriously threatens patients’ health. However, few studies on the protective properties of nonwoven medical covers have been conducted. This work aims to develop bioenvironmentally friendly novel Janus polylactic acid (PLA)/low melt polylactic acid (LMPLA) nonwoven medical covers with asymmetric wettability and excellent mechanical, and abrasion resistance while maintaining outstanding breathability performance. The Janus fabrics have a dual structure with hydrophilic PLA/LMPLA nonwoven fabrics and hydrophobic short fluoroalkyl chain polymers/polyurethane membranes. Janus textiles are prepared through needle punch/ hot press bonding manufacturing and spray coating. The subsequent nonwoven fabrics exhibit an outstanding wettability gradient that offers the excellent protective performance of inner-layer liquid absorption to prevent flowback and outer-layer liquid repellence. Furthermore, the coating increases the tensile strength and abrasion resistance (of the fabrics by 2.5 times those of a previously reported PU coating reported in published paper). This kind of nonwoven fabrics is suggested to be a promising candidate for medical covers and health supplies.

Polyether polyol, isocyanate, and a flame retardant (10 wt%), hydrotalcite (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 wt%) are used to form a rigid PU foam, while a nylon nonwoven fabric (400 g m−2) and a polyester aluminum foil are combined to serve as the panel. The rigid PU foam and the panel are then combined to form the rigid foam composites. The cell structure, compressive stress, combustion resistance, thermal stability, sound absorption, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the rigid foam composites are evaluated, examining the effects of using hydrotalcite. When the hydrotalcite is 5 wt%, the rigid foam composites have an optimal density of 0.168 g cm−3, an average cell size of 0.2858 mm, a maximum compressive stress of 479.95 kpa, an optimal LOI of 29, an optimal EMSE of 45 dB, and the maximum thermal stability and sound absorption.

In this study, intelligent eco-diapers are made by combining antibacterial yarns coated with quaternary ammonium salts with conductive yarns to improve caretaking for urinary incontinence. The combination of conductive yarns and sensors can detect the moisture content in eco-diapers, and an alarm is sent when moisture is significant. A wireless module is used to send detected signals to a smartphone or tablet PC via the Internet. This concept is used for a scenario in which nurses do not randomly check on patients in a long-term care institution. When used offline, eco-diapers can send caregivers an alarm for the need to change diapers via cell phones. The diameters of the copper and silver-plated copper fibers are 0.08 and 0.10 mm, respectively. Cotton yarns are twisted with copper and silver-plated copper fibers to form the conductive yarns, which are 0.12 mm in diameter. Moreover, 30-count cotton and 150 D nylon yarns are coated with quaternary ammonium salt via dyeing and finishing processes to form antibacterial yarns. In the current study, intelligent eco-diapers are tested for their electrical and antibacterial properties as specified by AATC and JISL test standards.

Inspired by the hierarchical structure of nacre, this study prepared a lightweight, flexible, and superhydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN)@SiO2-Ag composite nanofibrous film with high performance electromagnetic-interference shielding via electrospinning. SiO2 incorporated into PAN electro-spun films provided the adhesion site for Ag nanoparticles (AgNPS). AgNPS were then deposited onto the surface of PAN@SiO2 electrospinning nanofibers via facile wet electroless deposition, thus endowing the resulting nanofibers with a core–shell structure. After finishing with a PTDT agent, PAN@SiO2-Ag composite nanofiber films had super hydrophobic property, and their water contact angle reached 156.99°. This scenario also presented high conductivity (approximately 17,788 S/m), average shielding effectiveness (SE), specific SE (SSE), and SSE/t, achieving 82 dB, 367 dB cm3g−1 and 73,478 dB cm2g−1, respectively. This study provides an easy method to prepare bioinspired composite films with high conductive and electromagnetic shielding and high potential applications, such as in wearable and flexible sensors.