Predicting the whiteness index of cotton fabric with a least squares model

Cellulose - The textile bleaching process that involves hot hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution is commonly practised in cotton fabric manufacture. The purpose of the bleaching process is to remove...     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic polymethylsilsesquioxane nanostructures on cotton textiles by a solution-immersion process

Superhydrophobic cotton textiles are prepared by a simple, one-step and inexpensive phase separation method under ambient conditions by which a layer of polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) nanostructures is covered onto the cellulose fibers. By changing the silane precursor concentration, PMSQ nanostructures with various shapes, morphologies and sizes were fabricated. Nanostructures were characterized using SEM, EDS, and attenuated total reflectance FTIR. The wettability of the modified cellulose surfaces was characterized with contact-angle goniometry and sliding angle technique, respectively. The water contact angle of modified cotton is measured to be higher than 150°, which is high enough to exhibit the lotus effect as a result of the superhydrophobicity. Tunable water-repellent properties of the fabric are also demonstrated, with sliding contact angles varying from "sticky" to "slippery" depending upon different nanostructures on the surface of the fibers. It is expected that this simple technique will accelerate the large-scale production of superhydrophobic cellulosic materials with new industrial applications.     

The effect of phosphorus content on the thermal and the burning properties of cotton fabric coated with an ultrathin film of a phosphorus-containing polymer

The effect of phosphorus content on thermal degradation and burning behavior of poly(acryloyloxyethyl diethyl phosphate) or PADEP-coated cotton was studied. The results showed that PADEP-coated cotton prepared by admicellar polymerization using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) as a surfactant has higher amounts of phosphorus than that prepared using dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). Higher phosphorus content led to lower decomposition temperatures and greater amounts of char formation after thermal degradation. The effectiveness of the amount of phosphorus on the burning behavior of the treated cotton was investigated by an ASTM flammabilty test. In the case of PADEP-coated cotton prepared with DTAB, the flame spread slowly and extinguished with char formation on the fabric. For untreated cotton however, the flame spread quickly and burned the fabric entirely without char formation. Cotton coated with PADEP using HTAB exhibited self-extinguishing behavior after removing the ignition source. Decrease in decomposition temperature, increase in char formation and the burning behavior of PADEP-coated cotton are all consistent with phosphorus content on the treated fabric.     

Multifunctional MXene-decorated cotton fabric with different weaves,outstanding photothermal effect,and rapid response

Cellulose - The cotton fabric materials have gained widespread attention on account of their tailorable shape, flexible deformable, and lightweight in recent years. Nevertheless, there are still...     

Decolourization of vat dyes on cotton fabric with infrared laser light

A method for the decolourization of coloured cotton fabric dyed with vat dyes, based on exposure to infrared laser light, has been tested. Pulsed CO₂ laser has been used for all experiments. To detect changes in colour shade, reflection data of original and dyed cotton irradiated at various fluency of infrared laser light were measured on a UV–VIS spectrophotometer, and then colour intensity was calculated for each vat dye. To observe changes in chemical composition and morphology of fiber surfaces, an analysis was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy due to thermal effects. Thermal stability of vat dyes and cotton fabric was determined with differential scanning calorimetry method to simulate the heating process during exposure of samples to the infrared laser irradiation.     

New breathable and waterproof coatings for textiles: effect of an aliphatic polyurethane on the formation of PEEK-WC porous membranes

PEEK-WC is an amorphous polyetheretherketone with high chemical stability, excellent thermal resistance and significant solubility in various solvents. It has been used to prepare flat membranes by the phase inversion technique. The water vapour permeability through a porous PEEK-WC film was 1350 g/m² day at 26 °C and its liquid entry pressure (LEP) of water equivalent to a column of 2.0 m. These values were remarkably improved by addition of an aliphatic ether polyurethane (PU) into the PEEK-WC/DMF dopes: the water vapour flux was increased up to 2000 g/m² day and the LEP was equivalent to 12.5 m. This improvement is correlated to the different structure of the membranes: a spongy, porous and almost symmetric structure for the PEEK-WC/PU membranes, and an asymmetric structure with fingers for PEEK-WC membrane. The presence of PU influences also the mechanical properties of the blend membranes. The role of the PU on the resulting membrane morphology is rationalised on the basis of the mechanism of phase separation.     

Effect of UV radiation on the dyeing of cotton fabric with reactive blue 13

For the present study, the cotton fabric and dye solution were irradiated to UV radiation for different times. Dyeing was performed using un-irradiated and irradiated cotton with un-irradiated and irradiated reactive blue dye. Different dyeing parameters such as temperature, pH and time were optimized using irradiated dye and irradiated cotton. The data of colour report were obtained from un-irradiated and irradiated cotton dyed with reactive blue dye using spectra flash (SF650). Colourfastness properties show that UV radiation of both cotton and dye powder has improved the grading of fastness from fair to good. It is found that UV irradiation has not only enhanced the strength of dye on irradiated fabric but also improved the dyeing properties.     

Effect of thymol on the antibacterial efficiency of plasma-treated cotton fabric

In this research, the effect of thymol on the antibacterial activity of cotton fabric when modified by low-temperature plasma was investigated. The modification consisted of plasma pre-functionalization followed by one-step wet treatment with thymol. Oxygen and nitrogen were used as the working gases in the plasma reactor. The results showed that plasma-treated samples can absorb more thymol than untreated samples. Thus, the antibacterial activity of the samples in this case, which was analyzed by the bacteria counting test, was increased considerably. Durability of the antibacterial property was also assessed. It was concluded that loading thymol on plasma-treated cotton fabric produced effective durable antibacterial textiles.     

Synthesis of a highly porous carbon material with magnetic properties

Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry - Double modification of birch wood sawdust was performed with the aim to prepare porous carbon materials with magnetic properties.     

Effects of ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate on cotton fabric

The effect of ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate (NH₃/NH₄SCN) treatment of the swelling behavior, structural changes, and physical properties of cotton sheeting was compared with that of sodium hydroxide and liquid ammonia mercerization. Increased percent shrinkage, accessibility to a large dye molecule, dyestuff absorption, swelling with water, and water imbibition showed that NH₃/NH₄SCN had improved the accessibility of the cotton fabric. X-ray diffractograms showed the characteristic Cellulose I crystal lattice. X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption spectroscopy indicated that the crystallite size was unchanged and the swelling from the NH₃/NH₄SCN treatment occurred in the amorphous regions of the cellulose since the observed crystal structure was unchanged. Moisture regain determinations and barium hydroxide absorption suggested that some recrystallization of the cellulose may have occurred from the NH₃/NH₄SCN treatment. Fibers treated with NH₃/NH₄SCN showed a cross sectional shape similar to that of the origianl fibers but with reduced lumen area.     

Impregnation and polymerization reinforcement of porous materials by liquid monomer-solvent mixtures

Effect of the composition of liquid monomer-solvent mixtures on the processes of impregnation and subsequent reinforcement of solid chalkstone samples by the monomer polymerization in pores was considered. Factors influencing the rate of the solution-monomer mixture penetration in pores of a solid were studied.     

Dissolution of a surfactant-containing active porous material

We have studied the imbibition and dissolution of a porous material in two separate scenarios: (1) when the porous material contains a surfactant powder and (2) when the porous material is dissolved in a surfactant solution. We show that the dissolution kinetics in both scenarios is significantly affected by the presence of the surfactant and results in an increase in the characteristic imbibition time of the porous material, which can be well understood in the framework of the classical law of capillarity. Slowing of the imbibition kinetics was found to be affected by a modification of the liquid wetting properties, but is also affected by a variation in the solubility of the porous material in the presence of the surfactant. Furthermore, there is a depletion effect of the surfactant inside the rising liquid, which is in good agreement with previous work and theoretical predictions.     

A capillary gas chromatographic column with a porous layer based on a mesoporous material

A procedure for synthesizing an MSM-41-type mesoporous mesophase material (MMM) layer, that is, a layer of a solid porous material with a regular arrangement of nanoscale calibrated pores and a unified geometry, on the inner wall of a capillary column was developed. Because of the high specific surface area of silica, capillary columns with a porous MMM layer on the basis of silica allow the amount of samples introduced to be increased by an order of magnitude compared with the known capillary porous-layer columns. An example of the separation of light hydrocarbons is described. The properties of columns with MMM porous layers are discussed.     

The antimicrobial activity of the cotton fabric grafted with an amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer

An amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer (HBP-NH₂) was grafted to cotton fabric by a reaction between the aldehyde groups of oxidized cotton fabric and the amino groups of the HBP-NH₂ to provide cotton fabric with durable antimicrobial properties. The antimicrobial activities of the HBP-NH₂ aqueous solutions and the HBP-NH₂ grafted cotton fabrics were evaluated quantitatively against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The results indicated that the HBP-NH₂ grafted cotton fabric showed 92% of bacterial reduction to S. aureus and 95% of bacterial reduction to E. coli, respectively. The antimicrobial activities of the HBP-NH₂ grafted cotton fabrics were maintained at over 91% reduction level even after being exposed to 20 consecutive home laundering conditions. Several influence factors, which may affect the amount of HBP-NH₂ grafted onto the cotton fabrics, were also discussed.     

Effect of porous support fabric on osmosis through a Loeb-Sourirajan type asymmetric membrane

Commercially available asymmetric membranes of the Loeb-Sourirajan (L-S) type comprise a support fabric, bonded to the porous substructure. The influence of this fabric on osmotic permeation flux was examined, mostly with a Toray CA-3000 membrane from which, with care, it was possible to remove the support fabric. In osmosis experiments with 12% MgCl₂ solution on one side (either side) and 6% solution on the other, the permeation flux (J₁) was of the order of 0.01 and 0.06 m³/m² d with and without fabric, respectively. These results could be generalized by considering the resistivity to solute diffusion in the non-skin part of the membrane. This resistivity term averaged 104 and 17 d/m for membranes with and without fabric, respectively, and in further tests without fabric, it was between 15 and 25 d/m over a wide range of MgCl₂ concentrations. Four other L-S membranes, all with support fabric, were tested in osmosis experiments. Their resistivity values were similar to or higher than those of the Toray membrane with fabric, but, with one of the four, the results were affected by switching the location of the high and low concentration solutions. It was concluded that existing commercially available L-S membranes are not appropriate for large-scale osmosis applications because their support fabric decreases permeation flux excessively.     

A lipid coating on cotton fibers with enhanced adsorption capability for fabric functionalization

Cellulose - Cotton is often modified to minimize its disadvantages during textile processing. However, most finishing methods suffer from difficulties in finding finishing reagents and chemical...     

An eco-friendly and durable multifunctional cotton fabric incorporating ZnO and a branched polymer

Cellulose - In this study, we investigated a two-step method of preparing cotton fabrics with flame retardancy and UV-blocking properties. This method involved the in situ deposition of ZnO...