Production and Characterization of Polyurethane Fibers by Forcespinning Method and Incorporation of Luminiscense Nanoparticles

In this work, Polyurethane (PU) fine fiber nonwoven mats are generated using the Forcespinning® method. A detailed study focusing on the effect of PU concentration within solutions of N, N Dimethylformamide and the effect of relative humidity (RH) on fiber average diameter and fiber yield is presented. Solutions were prepared with 4 different concentrations, 14, 15, 16 and 17 wt% of PU. It was observed that as concentration of PU increases, average diameter shows a tendency to increase. Production of fibers with RH varying from X to X was analyzed. It was shown that higher RH is convenient for PU fiber production. Fibers were characterized under a scanning electron microscope to evaluate fiber size and surface features. Contact Angle measurements were also performed.as expected a dependency with fiber size was observed

Advanced Materials and Technologies in Nanogenerators

This reprint discusses the various applications, new materials, and evolution in the field of nanogenerators. This lays the foundation for the popularization of their broad applications in energy science, environmental protection, wearable electronics, self-powered sensors, medical science, robotics, and artificial intelligence

THE THERMOELECTRIC, THERMORESISTIVE, AND HYGRORESISTIVE PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF VAPOR PRINTED PEDOT-CL

Wearable electronics are a valuable tool to increase consumer access to real-time and long-term health care monitoring. The development of these technologies can also lead to major advancements in the field, such as self-charging systems that are completely removed from the electrical grid. However, much of the wearable technology available commercially contain rigid components, use unsustainable synthetic methods, or undesirable materials. The field has thus been moving towards wearables that mimic textiles or use textiles as a substrate. Herein, we discuss the use of oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) to produce textiles coated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) known as PEDOT-Cl. We evaluate the thermoelectric, thermoresistive, and hygroresistive properties of these PEDOT-Cl fabrics. We also explore the applications of these properties by creating humidity sensors, temperature sensors, and thermoelectric generators integrated with clothing. In general, we discuss the process of designing a wearable to best accommodate the desired application

Detection of gases and organic vapors by cellulose-based sensors

The growing interest in the development of cost-effective, straightforward, and rapid analytical systems has found cellulose-based materials, including cellulose derivatives, cellulose-based gels, nanocellulosic materials, and the corresponding (nano)cellulose-based composites, to be valuable platforms for sensor development. The present work presents recent advances in the development of cellulose-based sensors for the determination of volatile analytes and derivatives of analytical relevance. In particular, strategies described in the literature for the fabrication and modification of cellulose-based substrates with responsive materials are summarized. In addition, selected contributions reported in the field of paper-based volatile sensors are discussed, with a particular emphasis on quick response (QR) code paper-based platforms, intelligent films for food freshness monitoring, and sensor arrays for volatile discrimination purposes. Furthermore, analytical strategies devised for the determination of ionic species by in situ generation of volatile derivatives in both paper-based analytical devices (PADs) and microfluidic PADs will also be described.Universidade de Vigo/CISUGAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-093697-B-I0

Recent Advances in Carbon/Graphite Coatings

This Special Issue collects papers devoted to organic coatings based on polymers, graphene, and their combinations. These systems have great potentialities in the development of advanced materials for functional applications. In particular, graphene-based coatings on polymer substrates have interesting electrical characteristics, which are very sensible to the temperature and, therefore, they are very adequate for developing sensing materials and other types of functional materials

Flexible and Polymer-based CO2 Sensors for Food Packaging and Other Potential Applications

CO2 sensing is important in many applications ranging from air-quality monitoring to food packaging. Despite all the advancements in CO2 sensor technology, they are typically qualitative, bulky, expensive, and cross-sensitive to humidity, require high operating temperatures, external power sources, and complicated manufacturing processes making them incompatible with integration into food packaging. In light of this, the present study aims to develop chemiresistive, flexible, miniaturised, low-cost, lowpower, and simple-to-manufacture sensors capable of CO2 measurement at room temperature and high humidity conditions for food packaging and other potential applications. This thesis aims to develop chemiresistive, flexible, miniaturised, low-cost, low-power CO2 sensors for applications such as food packaging. The sensors are based on CO2-responsive polymers that change their electrical properties upon CO2 absorption. The interaction between CO2 and the polymer relies on acid-base chemistry, resulting in protonation of amine groups and altering the resistance. Initially, poly(N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] methacrylamide) (pDMAPMAm) is synthesised, but it exhibits irreversible response due to hindered proton hopping. To address this, poly(N-[3- (dimethylamino)propyl]-methacrylamide-co-2-N-morpholinoethyl methacrylate) (p(D-co-M)) with adjusted composition and basicity is developed, showing a reversible response to CO2. However, it has relatively long response and recovery times and cross-sensitivity to ammonia. To improve these shortcomings, a thin layer of Nafion-Na coating is applied to the p(D-co-M) sensor, denoted P-NafionNa sensors, reducing cross-sensitivity, shortening recovery time, and enabling Bluetooth® communication. The developed materials and sensors show promise for creating the next generation of miniaturised, flexible, wireless, and cost-effective CO2 sensors for various applications, including food quality monitoring

White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: “Uros, C., Walsh, J., Cernák, M., Labay, C., Canal, J.M., Canal, C. (2019) White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles. Plasma processes and polymers, 16 1 which has been published in final form at [doi: 10.1002/ppap.201700228]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."This white paper considers the future of plasma science and technology related to the manufacturing and modifications of plastics and textiles, summarizing existing efforts and the current state‐of‐art for major topics related to plasma processing techniques. It draws on the frontier of plasma technologies in order to see beyond and identify the grand challenges which we face in the following 5–10 years. To progress and move the frontier forward, the paper highlights the major enabling technologies and topics related to the design of surfaces, coatings and materials with non‐equilibrium plasmas. The aim is to progress the field of plastics and textile production using advanced plasma processing as the key enabling technology which is environmentally friendly, cost efficient, and offers high‐speed processingPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Polymer Processing and Surfaces

This book focuses on fundamental and applied research on polymer processing and its effect on the final surface as the optimization of polymer surface properties results in the unique applicability of these over other materials. The development and testing of the next generation of polymeric and composite materials is of particular interest. Special attention is given to polymer surface modification, external stimuli-responsive surfaces, coatings, adhesion, polymer and composites fatigue analysis, evaluation of the surface quality and microhardness, processing parameter optimization, characterization techniques, among others