Controlled three-dimensional polystyrene micro- and nano-structures fabricated by three- dimensional electrospinning

The combination of electrospinning with extrusion based 3D printing technology opens new pathways for micro- and nanofabrication, which can be applied in a wide range of applications. This simple and inexpensive method has been proven to fabricate 3D fibrous polystyrene structures with controlled morphology and micro- to nano-scale fibers diameter. The controllable movement of the nozzle allows precise positioning of the deposition area of the fibers during electrospinning. A programmed circular nozzle pattern results in the formation of controllable 3D polystyrene designed shapes with fiber diameters down to 550 nm. The assembly of the fibrous structures starts instantaneously, and a 4 cm tall and 6 cm wide sample can be produced within a 10 minutes electrospinning process. The product exhibits high stability at ambient conditions. The shape, size, and thickness of fibrous polystyrene structures can be easily controlled by tuning the process parameters. It is assumed that the build-up of 3D fibrous polystyrene structures strongly depends on charge induction and polarization of the electrospun fibers

Smart Textiles Coated with Eco-Friendly UV-Blocking Nanoparticles Derived from Natural Resources

Herein, eco-friendly iron titanate nanoparticles, FeTiO3 (FT), derived from natural resources (like ilmenite sand) were coated onto cotton fabrics (CF) to develop smart textile with enhanced UV-shielding property. The FT nanoparticles were dispersed in a polyurethane (PU) matrix, and the resulting nanocomposite was coated on CF. In addition, few sandwich architectures were designed by rationally stacking CF coated with PU and FT nanoparticles. The resulting sandwich structures blocked UV rays mainly by absorption. FT nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis, vibrating sample magnetometer, and thermogravimetric analysis. FT was suitably surface-functionalized to enhance the quality of dispersion in PU, thereby facilitating effective coating on CF. The latter was systematically evaluated by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. In addition, flammability of the coated CF was evaluated and the char was assessed to gain insight into the fire-retardant properties. Interestingly, CF coated with FT exhibited a strong UV-shielding ability in sharp contrast to CF coated with PU. Further, the sandwich architecture consisting of CF with FT and PU resulted in an increase in the ultraviolet-protecting factor value to >50 compared to only PU-coated CF. Our results indicate that the sandwich structure holds excellent promise in the quest of designing smart textiles with enhanced UV shielding

UV resistant and fire retardant properties in fabrics coated with polymer based nanocomposites derived from sustainable and natural resources for protective clothing application

Herein, UV-blocking and fire resistance cotton fabric was designed by coating polyurethane based MnO2-FeTiO3 (MFT) nanocomposites. The FeTiO3 (FT) nanoparticles were prepared using acid extraction from naturally occurring ilmenite sand and subsequently manganese acetate was added to synthesize the nanocomposite which was then thoroughly characterized. A colloidal suspension of MFT nanocomposite in TPU was prepared using sol-gel approach and subsequently coated onto cotton fabric. The surface morphology and the coverage of MFT on the coated fabric was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The structural changes, and thermal stability of the coated and uncoated fabrics was investigated by Fourier transform Infrared with Attenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis respectively. The MFT coated cotton fabrics exhibited a strong UV blocking ability and offered fire resistant properties as assessed using limited oxygen index. Furthermore, the coated cotton fabric retained its properties even after ten water-laundering cycles thereby offering durable, sustainable smart fabric for protective clothing application

Multifunctional Property of Graphene Oxide Nanostructures on Silica-Coated Cotton Fabrics

In this article, the hydrophobic nature of colloidal silica sol prepared using the sol-gel method was studied. Uncoated cotton fabrics were impregnated with the prepared nanosols followed by pad-dry-cure method. The internal structure of nanosol was obtained through transmission electron microscopy. Graphene oxide nanostructures were deposited on the silica-coated fabrics by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering techniques. The structural and morphological analyses of the coated and uncoated fabrics were performed using the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques, respectively. The elemental analysis using energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the presence of nanoparticles adhered to the cellulose present on the surface of the fabric. The thermal stability and wettability properties of the coated and uncoated fabrics were studied. The graphene oxide-coated cotton fabrics showed better UV properties and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The biocompatibility and UV protection of the coated fabrics were in the order of GOSiCF > silica-coated cotton fabrics> uncoated cotton fabrics

Smart Textiles Coated with Eco-Friendly UV-Blocking Nanoparticles Derived from Natural Resources

Herein, eco-friendly iron titanate nanoparticles, FeTiO₃ (FT), derived from natural resources (like ilmenite sand) were coated onto cotton fabrics (CF) to develop smart textile with enhanced UV-shielding property. The FT nanoparticles were dispersed in a polyurethane (PU) matrix, and the resulting nanocomposite was coated on CF. In addition, few sandwich architectures were designed by rationally stacking CF coated with PU and FT nanoparticles. The resulting sandwich structures blocked UV rays mainly by absorption. FT nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis, vibrating sample magnetometer, and thermogravimetric analysis. FT was suitably surface-functionalized to enhance the quality of dispersion in PU, thereby facilitating effective coating on CF. The latter was systematically evaluated by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. In addition, flammability of the coated CF was evaluated and the char was assessed to gain insight into the fire-retardant properties. Interestingly, CF coated with FT exhibited a strong UV-shielding ability in sharp contrast to CF coated with PU. Further, the sandwich architecture consisting of CF with FT and PU resulted in an increase in the ultraviolet-protecting factor value to >50 compared to only PU-coated CF. Our results indicate that the sandwich structure holds excellent promise in the quest of designing smart textiles with enhanced UV shielding

Smart Textile Fabrics for Screening Millimeter Wavelength Radiations: Challenges and Future Perspectives

The conductive fabrics are widely used in smart protective textile, specifically to shield millimeter wavelength radiations. In this context, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) have gained enormous interest in the recent past due to their myriad applications in the field of textile specifically because of their tunable conductivity, lightweight, ease of coating etc. Numerous research studies have been focused to develop electromagnetic (EM) shielding fabric using ICPs and various functional conducting, magnetic and dielectric nanoparticles. The objective of this review article is to highlight the state-of-the-art literature and recent developments in this field involving surface modification of textile fabrics using physical/chemical methods targeted towards EM shielding application. Furthermore, this review also provides useful insight in the shielding mechanism and diverse processes to design and develop smart EM shielded flexible fabrics as protective textiles

Effects of asna fibre reinforced with epoxy resin with and without steel wire mesh and simulation of car bumper

The utilization of natural fiber composites has been increased in replacing various parts in the automobile sector made up of synthetic fiber due to its degradability nature and environment friendliness. In this work, the naturally available Asna fiber was processed and the composites were prepared without and with steel wire mesh in various volume fractions (v _f ) of the fiber. In the present experimental investigation, the influence of different composite on the thermal, mechanical, and water absorption characteristics. Various properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength were tested for the multiple composites. Subsequently, a simulation model of a car front bumper was prepared using ANSYS to test it while defining the determined properties of the composites. The test results showed that when v _f was increased from 0.4 to 0.5%, the tensile and flexural were decreased by 0.72% and 59%, respectively, whereas impact strength was increased by 5.9% for the composite without wire mesh. The tensile and flexural strengths were decreased by 18.2%, whereas impact strength was increased by 1.6% for 0.5 v _f of the composite when steel wire mesh was added to the composite. The investigation of composite’s thermal behavior showed that when the temperature range comes within 330 °C–370 °C, the composites started decomposing. Various images were captured using Scanning Electron Microscope to investigate the fibers’ dispersion in epoxy polymers and its interfacial bonding. The simulation results showed that the bumper made up of the composite with wire mesh provides a better impact strength as compared to other composites and steel