The influence of corona discharge treatment on the properties of cotton and polyester-cotton knitted fabrics

In this study, the effect of corona discharge treatment on the physical and mechanical properties of bleached cotton and polyester-cotton fabrics were investigated. For this purpose, the samples were treated by corona discharge at two levels of voltage 5 and 10 kV, and at various duration times of plasma, ca. 1.4, 2.1 and 3.5 min. The corona discharge treatment was applied on the fabric samples before and after bleaching treatment. The results show that the corona influences on the surface morphology, breaking strength, air permeability, abrasion resistance, and pilling of cotton and polyester-cotton fabrics. Moreover, the levels of voltage and duration of plasma have a different effect on the properties of fabrics.     

One-bath one-dye class dyeing of PES/cotton blends after corona and chitosan treatment

In this work, the effects of corona discharge (CD) and chitosan treatment on the dyeability of polyester/cotton blends with direct and reactive dyes were studied. The surface chemical changes of polyester and cotton were analyzed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The correlation between chemical changes, wettability, and dyeability after CD and/or chitosan treatment has been established. Color intensity of both single components and PES/cotton blend increased proportionally with increasing chitosan concentration. The results obtained open the possibility for a new method for dyeing of polyester/cotton blends in a single bath using one dye-class that is commonly used for dyeing of textile material of cellulosic origin.     

Structure and properties of silk fibroin modified cotton

In this research, a novel cotton fiber with a silk fibroin (SF) coating was prepared by the oxidation of a cotton thread with sodium periodate and subsequent treatment in a solution of silk fibroin. The structures of both the oxidized cotton samples and the SF modified cotton samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) in combination with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Other performances such as surface morphology and breaking strength were also studied. The results indicated that the weight of the oxidized cotton samples increased during SF treatment, while that of the un-oxidized cotton (pure cotton) samples reduced after SF treatment. Compared with the pure cotton samples, the oxidized cotton clearly showed a characteristic absorption band at 1730 cm⁻¹ due to the stretching vibration of the C=O double bond of the aldehyde group. After being treated with the SF solution, the oxidized cotton fiber showed a weakened characteristic absorption band at 1730 cm⁻¹ and a new absorption band at round 1540 cm⁻¹, suggesting the formation of C-N bond between aldehyde groups in the oxidized cotton and primary amines in the silk fibroin. The results were also confirmed by XPS analysis. Compared with the oxidized cotton samples, the SF treated cottons had relatively smooth surfaces, similar breaking strength, and the improved wrinkle recovery angles. The results in this research suggest that cotton based materials with protein coating can be achieved without using any other crosslinking agents by the method introduced.     

Study on the surface modification of PBO fiber under dielectric barrier discharge treatment

In order to improve the interfacial adhesion property between Poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fiber and epoxy, the surface modification effects of PBO fiber under dielectric barrier discharge treatments in different time were investigated. The samples were tested for surface morphology, functional groups, surface wettability and interfacial shear strengths (IFSS) in epoxy using scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements and Micro-bond pull out tests, respectively. The results indicated that fiber surface morphology after plasma treatment was rougher than untreated one. Some polar groups were introduced on fiber surface in plasma treatment. Moreover, surface wettability and the IFSS between fiber and epoxy had much improvement after plasma treatment, the contact angle decreased with the treatment time increasing and reached the lowest value when the treated time was 60 s, and the IFSS was improved by 117.3 %. On the other hand, no significant difference in single fiber tensile test was observed between treated and untreated fibers when the processing time was shorter than 75 s, but the tensile strength declined by more than 10 % after 75 s treatment as a result of the excessive plasma etching.     

Effects of heat treatment on the properties of bamboo fiber/polypropylene composites

In this paper, the effects of heat treated parameters on the properties of bamboo fiber (BF) / polypropylene (PP) composites were investigated. The crystallization properties of BF/PP composites after heat treatment were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the mechanical properties were measured. The results showed that the crystallinities of the heat treated composite were enhanced compared with that of the untreated. When the heat treated time was 30 mins, the crystallinities became almost unchanged. However, the crystallinity decreased after 12 h heat treatment. In addition, when the heat treated temperature was above 90 °C, the higher the temperature was, the higher the crystallinities became. Moreover, the tensile strengths of BF/PP composites increased and then decreased with increasing heat treated time, while the impact strengths had a decreasing trend. In the meanwhile, the tensile strengths increased but the impact strengths decreased as the heat temperature increased.     

Surface modifications of natural Kanchipuram silk (pattu) fibers using glow discharge air Plasma

Experimental investigations have been carried out to modify the surface properties of natural Kanchipuram silk (pattu) fibers using a low temperature DC glow discharge air Plasma. Silk is an externally spun fibrous protein secretion formed into fibers. Plasma treatment is an eco-friendly, dry, and clean process over wet chemical method and does not suffer from any environmental and health concerns. Experiments have been performed considering three parameters such as discharge current, treatment time, and working pressure. The structural, thermal, morphological, optical, and mechanical studies of raw and plasma treated silk fibers have been obtained out using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), diffuse absorbance spectroscopy, and tensile test. A comparative study has been done for the untreated and different treated fibers. Various characterization analyses reveal that surface roughness of the plasma treated silk fiber is increased and also crystallite size of treated samples is enhanced, plasma treated silk fibers maintain the whiteness effect and it is observed that UV transmittance region (A & B) is more for the treated fiber which signifies enhanced UV protection.     

Self-cleaning Properties of Nylon 6 Fabrics Treated with Corona and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoparticles under Both Ultraviolet and Daylight Irradiations

Nylon 6 fabric with self-cleaning properties was prepared by corona discharge pre-treatment and coating with TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) using pad-dry-cure technique. The self-cleaning property was studied by discoloration of methylene blue (MB), ketchup, tea and coffee stains from the corona+TiO₂ treated nylon-6 fabric. Color difference (ΔΕ*), reflectance (R) and K/S of MB stain were investigated by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry. The MB stain was almost completely removed from the corona+TiO₂ treated nylon surface after 24 h under UV light/daylight irradiation. Both of these phenomena (corona and TiO₂) led to an increase in the discoloration of stains under UV and daylight irradiations. The EDS analysis showed an increase in the concentration of deposited TiO₂ NPs coating after corona treatment. The FE-SEM images revealed that the surface of nylon 6 was coarser after the corona treatment. Also, the FE-SEM micrographs exhibited that a uniform layer of TiO₂ NPs was formed on the corona treated nylon fabric. The corona+TiO₂ treated nylon illustrated antibacterial activity against E. coli and B. subtillis microorganisms. The EDS and FE-SEM analysis confirmed that after 5 washing cycles, the amount of TiO₂ NPs was higher on the surface of corona+TiO₂ treated nylon than that of the fabric only treated with TiO₂ without corona pretreatment. This result justifies that the corona+TiO₂ treated nylon fabric with appropriate self-cleaning property can be applied cost-effectively in the textile industry.     

Influence of oxygen plasma pre-treatment on the water repellency of cotton fibers coated with perfluoroalkyl-functionalized polysilsesquioxane

Oxygen plasma pre-treatment was applied to cotton fabric with the aim of improving the water repellency performance of an inorganic-organic hybrid sol-gel perfluoroalkyl-functionalized polysilsesquioxane coating. Cotton fabric was pre-treated with low-pressure oxygen plasma for different treatment times and operating powers. Afterward, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (SiF) was applied to the cotton fabric samples using the pad-dry-cure method. The surfaces of the untreated and modified cotton fibers were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Xray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The water repellency of the SiF-coated fabric samples was evaluated using static and sliding contact angle measurements with water. The results show that the plasma treatment with the shortest treatment time (10 s) and the lowest operating current (0.3 A) increased the atomic oxygen/carbon ratio of the cotton fiber surface from 0.6 to 0.8 and induced the formation of a nano-sized grainy surface. Increasing the plasma treatment time and/or operating current did not intensify the surface changes of the cotton fibers. Such saturation effects were explained by the large influence of reactive oxygen atoms during the plasma treatment. The measured static water contact angles on the surface of the untreated and plasma pre-treated and SiF-coated cotton fabrics showed that the oxygen plasma pre-treatment enabled the increase of the water contact angle from 135° to ≈150°, regardless of the applied plasma treatment time and discharge power. This improvement in the hydrophobicity of the SiF coating was followed by a decrease in the sliding angle of water droplets by more than 10° compared to the plasma untreated and SiF-coated sample characterized by a water sliding angle of 45°. Additionally, measurements of the water sliding angle revealed that the increase of the static contact angle from 149° to 150° corresponded to a drop of the water sliding angle from 33 to 24°, which suggests that the plasma pre-treatment of 20 s at an operating current of 0.3 A produced the best water-repellent performance of the SiF-coated cotton fabric.     

Antibacterial Coating of Glass Fiber Filters with Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) and Glycidyltrimethylammonium Chloride (GTAC)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were attached to glass fiber filters to improve their antibacterial properties using glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTAC), a type of quaternary ammonium salt. The glass fiber filters treated with GTAC were placed into the Ag colloid and heat-treated at 43 °C for 90 min to attach AgNPs to the glass fiber filters. The glass fiber filters with the attached AgNPs were then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface morphology of the glass fiber filters treated with GTAC and AgNPs was observed. The Ag atomic % of the glass fiber filters was analyzed according to the GTAC concentration, Ag colloid concentration, and AgNPs treatment temperature. The surface roughness of the glass fiber filters with the attached AgNPs was measured by AFM. The antibacterial tests of the GTAC and AgNP-treated glass fiber filters highlighted the sufficient antibacterial effects against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. In particular, the antibacterial properties of glass fiber filters against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were improved when the glass fiber filters were treated with both GTAC and AgNPs.     

Experimental study and prediction of the diameter of melt-electrospinning polypropylene fiber

Firstly, the effects of the spinning temperature, spinning voltage, tip-to-collector distance and ambient temperature on the diameter of melt-electrospinning polypropylene (PP) fibers were studied. The results showed that with the increase of the spinning temperature, spinning voltage and tip-to-collector distance, the fiber diameters first decreased and then increased. However, when the ambient temperature increased, the fiber diameters increased gradually. Secondly, based on the previous results, the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the combined effects of processing parameters on fiber diameters and establish a second-order polynomial equation to predict the fiber diameter. The results showed that the effect order of four factors on fiber diameter was as follows: spinning temperature > tip-to-collector distance > ambient temperature > spinning voltage. Moreover, the fiber diameter predicted by response surface analysis fitted well with the experimental result. Finally, three layer melt-electrospinning PP webs with different fiber diameters were online compounded with conventional non     

动态超高压改性芒果皮渣膳食纤维对果酱流变特性的影响

本研究以芒果皮渣为研究对象,采用动态超高压技术处理芒果皮渣膳食纤维,研究其粒度、膳食纤维含量以及添加了该膳食纤维对果酱流变特性的影响。结果表明：超高压改性提高了芒果皮渣膳食纤维的溶解性;随着压力的增大,膳食纤维粒径先增大后减小再增加,120 MPa时粒径达到18.218 μm。流变特性研究发现,芒果皮渣膳食纤维/果酱复配体系为非牛顿流体,具有假塑性流体特征;果酱粘度随着剪切速率的增大而减小,存在明显的剪切稀化现象;动态粘弹性测试结果表明,果酱复配体系的贮能模量（G′）与损耗模量（G′′）均随角频率的增加而呈上升趋势,损耗正切值也随着压力的增加而增加,在150 MPa时流体性质最明显。     

Improving wrinkle resistance of cotton fabric by montmorillonite

Cotton fabric was treated with montmorillonite (MMT) so as to evaluate its effectiveness on improving its wrinkle resistance. The MMT in emulsion form was applied to cotton fabric by padding and finally the wrinkle resistance of the MMT-treated cotton fabric was improved. Furthermore, instrumental methods were used for studying the presence of MMT particles on the cotton fabric surface. It was noted that nano-scale MMT particles adhered on the fiber surface and the particle size played an important role in influencing the wrinkle resistance of the cotton fabric. The experimental results are discussed thoroughly in this paper.     

Characterization and analysis of ligno-cellulosic seed fiber from Pergularia Daemia plant for textile applications

A hitherto uninvestigated ligno-cellulosic seed fiber from the plant Pergularia Daemia has been chosen for the current study to unravel its physical properties, and potentialities in textile applications. The raw, NaOH treated, and wax removed fibers were tested for their morphological and structural features by X-ray diffraction, SEM, FT-IR spectra, and thermal analysis by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The raw fibers have low cellulose content and less crystalline compared to cotton and are having hollow, smooth surface, and less density. The brittle nature and low elongation at break of virgin fiber makes it difficult for the spinning. It becomes spinnable after NaOH treatment due to the increased elongation at break by partial removal of lignin.     

Development of Superhydrophobic Microfibers for Bandage Coatings

In this research work, a fabricated composite fiber is proposed to protect wound surfaces from infectious organisms present in water. The composite fiber comprising PMMA, ZnO, and zinc stearate was developed using an electrospinning technique. The fiber surface was scientifically studied using scanning electron microscope, Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, powder X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform Infra-Red analysis. The pores present in between perpendicularly aligned fibers serves as an excellent medium for vapor transport to a wound surface. The maximum water contact angle of the developed fiber surface was approximately 151 degrees. A commercial cotton bandage after coated with this composite layer behaves as a perfect barrier to the entry of infectious water towards the wound. The pores in the fiber surface support rich supply of environmental oxygen and transport of exudate vapor from the wound. This fiber when coated over a cotton bandage cloth on one side served as an excellent wound protecting bandage against the penetration of external microbial water and also it admits the air, water vapor etc., towards the interior. Water penetration ability of hydrophilic cotton bandage and the water arresting ability of superhydrophobic fiber coated bandage were evaluated using a facile technique. Furthermore, antimicrobial activity of test samples was evaluated against gram positive and gram negative microorganism. Also, a bacterial infiltration test supports the blocking capability of superhydrophobic fiber to water-borne bacteria. The results obtained through this experiment may be used in future as wound healing bandages in an efficient manner.     

Dyeing characteristics of Nylon,cotton and N/C mixture fabrics with reactive-disperse dyes containing a sulphatoethylsulphone group

The dyeing and color fastness properties of three reactive-disperse dyes containing a sulphatoethylsulphone group on Nylon, cotton and N/C mixture fabrics were examined. Reduction-clearing was more effective in removing the unfixed dyes than soaping since the reactive-disperse dye became hydrophobic during dyeing process. Nylon was dyed well with three reactive-disperse dyes at pH 5∼8 and difference in chemical structure between dyes did not affect the final color strength of the dyed Nylon fiber, but their build-up properties on Nylon were not so good. The color strength of the dyed cotton was not as high as that of Nylon. The color strength of cotton increased by lowering dyeing temperature when the reactive-disperse dyes having hydroxy group were used. Nylon absorbed more dye molecules than cotton in simultaneous dyeing, the color difference between Nylon and cotton could be reduced as the dyeing temperature decreased. N/C mixture fabric was dyed well at 60 °C with the reactive-disperse dyes having hydroxyl group when applied at pH 7 and 60 °C, and their build-up properties were good. It was also found that washing fastness and rubbing fastness of dyed Nylon, cotton and N/C fabrics with the reactive-disperse dyes were excellent, while light fastness was moderate.     

Preparation of Copper Nanoparticles Coated Cotton Fabrics with Durable Antibacterial Properties

When copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were applied as an antimicrobial agent to finish cotton fabrics, there are two issues should be solved: the oxidization and the weak adsorbability onto cotton fiber surface. In the present work, we developed a new method that can achieve both immobilization and protection of the Cu NPs at the same time. As an effective binder, thioglycolic acid (TGA) was covalently linked to cotton fiber surface via an esterification with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose, then Cu NPs were introduced on the fabric surface in the presence of a protective reagent, citric acid. Due to the doubled stabilization acts of TGA and citric acid, the Cu NPs immobilized on the fabric surface showed an excellent antibacterial effect and outstanding laundering durability. Even after 50 consecutive laundering tests, the modified cotton fabrics still showed satisfactory antibacterial ability against both S. aureus and E. coli, which the bacterial reduction rates are all higher than 96 %. It is believed that this methodology has potential applications in a wide variety of textile productions such as sportswear, socks, and medical textiles.     

Enzymatic treatment on cotton fibers: degradation kinetics of pectin and influence of shape change on adsorption

Alkaline pectinase was one of the most effective enzymes to treat cotton as alternative agent to replace the conventional alkaline method. Removal of pectin and cutin was considered the explanation for improvement of wettability as well as water adsorption on cotton fiber. However, degradation kinetics of pectin is unclear, and the influence of fiber shape on property changes after enzymatic treatment was ignored. The main objective of this work was to reveal interactions between pectinase and cotton fiber for mechanism study. A heterogeneous catalysis kinetic equation, which is associated with Langmuir adsorption model and enzyme deactivation, was used to describe the heterogeneous catalysis. The enzymatic process conditions were optimized. Raw cotton fibers, pectinase-treated and alkali-treated fibers were characterized by impurities content determination, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanism of water adsorption enhancement on treated fibers was discussed. In addition to elimination of the outer impurities, flat fibers with less twist and shape changes of lumen were also obtained to ensure better accessibility and water adsorption after enzymatic treatment.     

Effect of Urea/NaOH aqueous system on morphology and properties of cotton fabric

This paper was focused on comparing the effect of urea/NaOH aqueous system with that of single urea or NaOH treating system on cotton fabric morphology and properties. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and wide X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were used to study cotton fabric morphology and properties before and after treatment by urea/NaOH, single urea, and single NaOH treating systems. Results showed that the cotton fabric treated by urea/NaOH aqueous system had better dyeability than the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating systems. Obvious differences were observed in appearance and morphology of cotton fabrics before and after treatment by urea/NaOH aqueous system. The composition and the structure of urea/NaOH treated cotton fiber had no distinct changes, only except the reduced hydrogen bonding between cellulosic macromolecules. Tensile strength and elongation at break of cotton fabric showed a slight decrease after treatment by urea/NaOH system. In addition, shrinkage of area and weight reduction of urea/NaOH treated samples were higher than those of the samples untreated and treated by single urea or single NaOH treating system.     

Development of superhydrophobic polyester fabrics using alkaline hydrolysis and coating with fluorinated polymers

Alkaline hydrolysis is one of the most classic fiber finishing methods, however, its potential as tuning surface superhydrophobicity in mass scale has not been studied much. In this research, fine roughness was formed on the polyester fiber surfaces by alkaline hydrolysis at room temperature and fluorinated polymer mixtures were further coated. The developed superhydrophobic fabrics were evaluated in terms of structural changes, mechanical properties, surface hydrophobicity, and permeability for practical applications. As alkaline hydrolysis treatment time increased, surface roughness was increased as a lot of nano-craters were generated with the decrease of fabrics weight and tensile strength as well. As air pockets formed through nano-craters on the fiber surfaces, static contact angle increased, and shedding angle tended to decrease. In this study, the sample treated with alkaline hydrolysis for 20 minutes showed the highest static contact angle of 167.8±1.3° and lowest shedding angle of 4.4±2.3°. Considering tensile strength loss, however, the 15-minute alkaline hydrolyzed fabrics which showed static contact angle of 162.2±2.7° and shedding angle of 8.8±0.2° was selected as the optimal condition for practical application. The newly developed superhydrophobic fabrics were found to have higher water vapor and air permeability than those of untreated samples. At the same time, fluoropolymer coating played a certain role for tensile strength and water vapor permeability demonstrating the importance of understanding and designing proper fluorinated-compound treatment processes.     

Electroneutral cornstarch by quaternization and sulfosuccinylation to improve the adhesion of cold starch paste to raw cotton for low-temperature sizing

The objective of this research was to survey the effects of starch quaternization and sulfosuccinylation on the adhesion of cold starch paste to raw cotton fibers for cotton warp sizing at low temperature. Acid-thinned cornstarch (ATS) was quaternized and then sulfosuccinylated to introduce 3-(trimethylammonium chloride)-2-hydroxypropyl and sulfosuccinate substituents onto its backbones. The electroneutrality of starch samples prepared was achieved by maintaining a constant mole ratio (5.3:1) of the two substituents. A series of electroneutral cornstarch (ECS) samples with different levels of the substituents were derived by altering the feed ratio of the modifying reagents to starch for determining desirable level of starch modification. Adverse influences of cotton wax and starch retrogradation on the adhesion of cold starch paste to raw cotton fibers were evaluated to illustrate the effectiveness of starch quaternization and sulfosuccinylation. It was found that the modification was able to alleviate the adverse influence of starch retrogradation and ameliorate the adhesion to the fibers at low temperature. Higher level of the modification led to less retrogradation and resulted in strong adhesion. Furthermore, the adverse influence of cotton wax on the adhesion could be eliminated after a pre-wetting treatment of raw cotton warps with hot water. The adhesion of ECS paste to raw cotton at 60 °C was statically the same as that of ATS at 95 °C when total DS of ECS was 0.0443 or higher.