Search

The global rise in diabetes has highlighted the urgent need for continuous, non-invasive health monitoring solutions. Traditional glucose monitoring methods, which are invasive and often inconvenient, have created a demand for alternative technologies that can offer comfort, accuracy, and real-time data. In this study, the development of a textile-based organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) is presented, designed for non-invasive glucose sensing, aiming to integrate this technology seamlessly into everyday clothing. The document details the design, optimization, and testing of a one-component textile-based OECT, featuring a porous PEDOT:PSS structure and a glucose oxidase-modified electrolyte for effective glucose detection in sweat. The research demonstrates the feasibility of using this textile-based OECT for non-invasive glucose monitoring, with enhanced sensitivity and specificity achieved through the integration of glucose oxidase within the electrolyte and the innovative porous PEDOT:PSS design. These findings suggest a significant advancement in wearable health monitoring technologies, providing a promising pathway for the development of smart textiles capable of non-invasively tracking glucose levels. Future work should focus on refining this technology for clinical use, including individual calibration for accurate blood glucose correlation and its integration into commercially available smart textiles.

Natural dyes offer a bio-based opportunity to support the attractive coloration of textile fabrics made from natural fibers like cotton, wool, hemp, and many other textile materials. They can be part of a strategy to realize fully bio-based textiles and clothing materials. In line with this statement, the following study investigates the use of wood extracts for dyeing cotton fabrics. Specifically, extract powders of logwood (Haematoxylon campechianum L.), brazilwood (Caesalpinia spp.), and quebracho wood (Schinopsis lorentzii) are used. The aim of the study is to evaluate which colorations can be obtained by the application of those wood extracts and what fastness properties are reached. For this, different modified process parameters and mordants are evaluated. The dyeing process is modified using different mordants based on iron and aluminum salts. These mordants are applied in pre-, meta-, or post-mordant procedures. The color and fastness properties of prepared textile samples are determined by spectroscopic measurements, color measurements, washing procedures, and a Xenotest for measuring the light fastness. Ultimately, it is shown that a broad range of colorations can be realized through different combinations of wood extracts and mordanting procedures. Notably, stronger color depths are reached with pre- and meta-mordanting compared to post-mordanting. Good wash fastness is obtained for some color shades. However, with post-mordanting, better wash fastness can be achieved. The light fastness of the realized samples is only moderate to low. In conclusion, it can be stated that dyes from wood extracts are excellent materials to dye natural fibers if they are combined with the right mordanting agent in pre- or meta-mordanting procedures. The present study is therefore a good proof-of-concept for the realization of fully bio-based colored textile materials.

Cellulosic materials like cotton and linen are excellent textile substrates for dyeing with reactive and direct dyes. Due to their cellulosic nature, cotton and linen exhibit good affinity towards direct and reactive dyes. This good affinity is the reason for good washing and rubbing fastness. Chitosan is a bio-based polymer gained by the deacetylation of chitin. In contrast to cellulose, chitosan exhibits also amino functional groups. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if a chitosan based pretreatment of cotton and linen can lead to different dyeing properties. After different chitosan based pretreatments, the color properties are determined by CIEL*a*b* indices. The rubbing fastness in dry and wet conditions is measured. Even if in the actual study no positive effects were determined by pretreatment of chitosan, the determined results could be utilized in future research to develop other functional treatments of cotton and linen materials with implemented chitosan.

Porous conductive polymer structures, in particular Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) structures, are gaining in importance due to their versatile fields of application as sensors, hydrogels, or supercapacitors, to name just a few. Moreover, (porous) conducting polymers have become of interest for wearable and smart textile applications due to their biocompatibility, which enables applications with direct skin contact. Therefore, there is a huge need to investigate distinct, straightforward, and textile-compatible production methods for the fabrication of porous PEDOT:PSS structures. Here, we present novel and uncomplicated approaches to producing diverse porous PEDOT:PSS structures and characterize them thoroughly in terms of porosity, electrical resistance, and their overall appearance. Production methods comprise the incorporation of micro cellulose, the usage of a blowing agent, creating a sponge-like structure, and spraying onto a porous base substrate. This results in the fabrication of various porous structures, ranging from thin and slightly porous to thick and highly porous. Depending on the application, these structures can be modified and integrated into electronic components or wearables to serve as porous electrodes, sensors, or other functional devices.

The sol-gel method is a versatile tool for the modification and functionalization of textiles. This method can be also used to support the application of dyes on textile materials. This paper is related to the application of the fluorescence dye Rhodamine B together with an industrial sol-gel component. Beside fluorescence spectroscopy, also scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are used for the investigation of the produced textile samples. The realized fluorescence effects are strongly related to the applied dye concentration and can be drastically enhanced by presence of the applied sol-gel system. By use of sol-gel method also the dry and the wet rubbing fastness can be improved. These results could be the starting point for future development of new fluorescent textile materials.

Both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light have negative impact on the human health. With this background it is the main aim of the current research to realize a textile material which is able to protect against both UV light and IR light. For this research, regenerated cellulosic fibers from the Lyocell process are used and modified. Main analytical investigations are done by photo-spectroscopy in arrangement of diffuse transmission for the spectral range from 220 nm to 1400 nm. Additionally, microscopic investigations are done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For material development, Lyocell fibers functionalized with TiO2 particles are first processed into yarns and then into knitted fabrics. Compared to non-functionalized textiles, the transmission is reduced in the UV range due to the absorption behavior of TiO2. Subsequent dyeing with anthraquinone or reactive dyes enhanced the UV protective effect. To reduce the transmission in the near IR range (NIR), non-functionalized Lyocell knitted fabrics are functionalized with various IR absorbers in different concen­trations. With increasing concentration, the transmission de­creased. However, a grey coloration of the textile is observed simultaneously, with increased concentration. This must be con­sidered in further processing steps. With these methods for function­alization, it is possible to produce textiles that offer increased protection against UV and IR radiation. These are promising materials for the production of clothing or work wear.

This review supports an overview of selected high-performance fibers and functional fiber materials. A review of several properties and applications is given. For fiber materials and fabrics, microscopic images taken by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are presented. As well as this, electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) is performed on the fiber materials and an overview of EDS spectra is presented. The features of SEM images and EDS spectra are discussed, especially with the aim of supporting people who are working in the field of fiber analytics. To support a complete view of both analytic methods—SEM and EDS—challenges and typical mistakes for SEM measurements on textiles are also described. Altogether, this review supports a useful overview of interesting high technology fiber materials and their investigation using the analytical methods SEM and EDS. Using these, material properties and their composition are presented and discussed. The composition of industrial fiber materials is investigated and discussed, as well as fiber treatments for the realization of functional fiber properties. Furthermore, it aims to support a helpful tool for fiber and textile analytics and identification.

Biodegradable polymers are currently discussed for applications in different fields and are becoming of increasing interest in textile research. While a plethora of work has been done for PLA in medical textiles, other biodegradable polymers and their textile application fields are studied less often, presumably due to higher costs and fewer market opportunities. However, some are emerging from research to pilot scale, and are already utilized commercially in packaging and other sectors but not, unfortunately, in textiles. The commercialisation of such polymers is fuelled by improved biotechnological production processes, show¬ing that textile applications are increasingly conceivable for the future. Additionally, commonly accepted definitions for biodegradability are probably misleading, if they are used to estimate the environmental burden of waste management or recycling of such materials. In this review, the current state of research in the field of biodegradable polymers for the application in textile materials is presented to identify emerging developments for new textile applications. It was clearly seen that PLA is most dominant in that field, while others facilitate new options in the future. The production costs of raw materials and the current patent situation are also evaluated. A special focus is placed on fibre raw materials, coatings, and additives for clothing and technical textiles. Fibre-reinforced composites are excluded, since polymers applied for the matrix component require very different properties compared to the textile materials. This represents a topic to be discussed separately. As a result, these new biodegradable polymers might serve as interesting coating materials for textiles that seem to sneak on to the textile market, as the patent search for such coating formulations suggests. Moreover, new biodegradable fibrous materials for clothing applications can be suggested, but some material properties must be addressed to render them processable on common textile machines.

A treatment for hydrophobic functionalization of natural fiber materials is developed. This hydrophobic treatment is based mainly on natural products. As hydrophobic component the natural Tung Oil is used, which is originally a compound used for wood conservation purposes. The application on textile is done in a padding process under presence of an oxidative agent. For the current investigations a fiber felt from linen was used. The hydrophobic effect is determined by the concentration of Tung Oil and the duration of a thermal drying process. The hydrophobic effect is investigated by capillary rise tests and contact angle measurements. Scanning electron microscopy SEM is used to investigate the surface topography of the fiber material and the deposited hydrophobic material. Altogether, an interesting and promising method for hydrophobisation of natural fibers is developed, which could especially be used as part of a production process of a fiber reinforced composite material, mainly based on natural products.

In recent years the harvesting of renewable energies became of great importance. This led to a rapid development of dye-sensitized solar cells which can be produced from low-purity materials. The best electrical properties are provided by cells prepared using synthetical, ruthenium based dyes. Unfortunately, most of them are toxic and expensive. The anthocyanins extracted for example from hibiscus flowers yield a more cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to toxic dyes, however, with a loss of solar cell efficiency. In this article the possibility of improvement of the conversion efficiency by modification of the pH value of the dye is investigated. By decrease of the pH value, an increase of efficiency by a factor of two was achieved.

Abstract Background Daily smokers and hazardous drinkers are high-risk patients, developing 2-4 times more complications after surgery. Preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation for four to eight weeks prior to surgery halves this complication rate. The patients' preoperative contact with the surgical departments might be too brief for the hospital to initiate these programmes. Therefore, it was relevant to evaluate a new clinical practice which combined the general practitioner's (GP) referral to surgery with a referral to a smoking and alcohol intervention in the surgical pathway. Methods The design was an exploratory prospective trial. The outcome measured was the number of patients referred to a preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation programme at the same time as being referred for elective surgery by their GP. The participants consisted of 72 high-risk patients who were referred for elective surgery by 47 local participating GPs. The GPs, nurses, and specialists in internal medicine, prehabilitation and surgery developed new clinical practice guidelines based on the literature and interviews with 11 local GPs about the specific barriers for implementing a smoking and alcohol cessation programme. The role of the GP was to be the gatekeeper: identifying daily smokers and hazardous drinkers when referring them to surgery; handing out information on risk reduction; and referring those patients identified to a preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation programme. The role of the hospital was to contact these patients to initiate smoking and alcohol cessation at the hospital out-patient clinic for life-style intervention. Results The GPs increased their referral to the smoking and alcohol cessation programme from 0% to 10% (7/72 patients) in the study period. Conclusion The effect of the study was limited in integrating the efforts of primary care providers and hospital surgical departments in increasing the up-take of preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation programmes aimed at smokers and harmful drinkers referred for surgery. New strategies for cooperation between GPs and surgical departments are urgently needed. Trial registration J.nr. 2005-54-1781 in Danish Data Protection Agency. J.nr. 07 268136 in Scientific Ethical Committee for Copenhagen and Frederiksberg Municipalities.