Polyaniline/palladium nanohybrids for moisture and hydrogen detection.

Palladium nanoparticles display fascinating electronic, optical and catalytic properties, thus they can be used for various applications such as sensor fabrication. Conducting polymers such as polyaniline have also been widely used in sensor technology due to its cost effectiveness, versatility, and ease of synthesis. In this research, attention was given to unify the exceptional properties of these two materials and construct palladium nanoparticle coated polyaniline films to detect hydrogen and moisture. Electrochemical polymerization of aniline was carried out on gold sputtered epoxy resin boards. Polyaniline film was generated across a gap of 0.2 mm created by a scratch made on the gold coating prior to electrochemical polymerization. A palladium nanoparticle dispersion was prepared using sonochemical reduction method and coated on to polyaniline film using drop-drying technique. Polyaniline only films were also fabricated for comparative analysis. Sensitivity of films towards humidity and hydrogen was evaluated using impedance spectroscopy in the presence of the respective species. According to the results, polyaniline films exhibited an impedance drop in the presence of humidity and the response was significantly improved once palladium nanoparticles were incorporated. Interestingly, polyaniline only films did not respond to hydrogen. Nevertheless, palladium nanoparticle coated polyaniline films exhibited remarkable response towards hydrogen

Infrared absorbing nanoparticle impregnated self-heating fabrics for significantly improved moisture management under ambient conditions.

Propensity of a textile material to evaporate moisture from its surface, commonly referred to as the 'moisture management' ability, is an important characteristic that dictates the applicability of a given textile material in the activewear garment industry. Here, an infrared absorbing nanoparticle impregnated self-heating (IRANISH) fabric is developed by impregnating tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanoparticles into a polyester fabric through a facile high-pressure dyeing approach. It is observed that under simulated solar radiation, the impregnated ITO nanoparticles can absorb IR radiation, which is effectively transferred as thermal energy to any moisture present on the fabric. This transfer of thermal energy facilitates the enhanced evaporation of moisture from the IRANISH fabric surface and as per experimental findings, a 54 ± 9% increase in the intrinsic drying rate is observed for IRANISH fabrics compared with control polyester fabrics that are treated under identical conditions, but in the absence of nanoparticles. Approach developed here for improved moisture management via the incorporation of IR absorbing nanomaterials into a textile material is novel, facile, efficient and applicable at any stage of garment manufacture. Hence, it allows us to effectively overcome the limitations faced by existing yarn-level and structural strategies for improved moisture management