Fibers and Polymers最新文献

Wound dressing plays an important role in maintaining a moist environment and facilitating proper wound healing. This study focuses on the development of water-insoluble expandable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–alginate foam for cavity dressing applications. CMC is widely used in the medical field due to its excellent absorbency, biocompatibility and ability to promote wound healing. However, CMC lacks mechanical properties and shape stability in moist environment. The effects of CMC solution concentration, heat treatment temperature, and addition of alginate on the water absorption, water retention performance, and physical properties of the foam were evaluated. The results indicate that higher CMC solution concentrations led to increased weight and density, improved structural integrity, and enhanced wet compressive strength but prolonged absorption time. Heat treatment with citric acid as a cross-linking agent resulted in increased wet compressive strength and decreased absorption time. Additionally, the incorporation of alginate influenced the absorption properties and compressive strengths of the foam. The study confirms the potential usability of CMC–alginate freeze-dried foam for cavity dressing applications, providing insights for further research in this area.

Low production rate than demand and non-sustainability of cotton growth emphasise the world for its substitution. Regenerated cellulosic fibres (RCFs) are the best replacement options in terms of sustainability and performance properties. In this research, we compared the regenerated fibres and cotton fibres blended yarns and single jersey spandex knitted fabrics based on those yarns with 100% cotton yarns and single jersey spandex knitted fabrics and tried to single out the most suitable regenerated/ cotton fibre blend option as the best replacement for cotton fibre in terms of performance and comfort properties along with sustainability. 30/1 Nec yarns were produced by blending cotton with lyocell, modal and Viscose Rayon fibres in (60:40) weight ratios. Single jersey knitted fabrics with 20 denier (20 D) spandex filaments were developed from the said yarns and compared with 100% cotton-based knitted fabrics. Performance properties of yarns such as strength, uniformity and hairiness and fabric properties such as skewness, bursting strength, and pilling along with some comfort properties, e.g. flexural rigidity, air permeability and vertical wicking were also evaluated. RCF-blended yarns and fabrics exhibited improved performance and comfort properties as compared to 100% cotton yarns and fabrics, especially cotton/lyocell-blended yarns and fabrics. The cotton/lyocell (60:40)-blended yarns exhibited 16% higher strength, 36% better yarn performance and 13% less hairiness when compared to 100% cotton. Similarly, the fabrics of the cotton/lyocell (60:40) blend exhibited 32% less spirality, 25% more bursting strength, twice as much airflow and five times higher moisture flow with comparable flexural rigidity as compared to the 100% cotton fabric.

Graphical Abstract

Natural dyes, with their good sustainability and environmental friendliness, are increasingly becoming a hot topic in the field of textile dyeing research. The Acer ginnala maxim. (A. ginnala) plant, commonly used for landscaping and prized for its red leaves in the autumn, has rarely been utilized for its fallen leaves. Using A. ginnala leaves as a source of dye can increase its economic value. This study aims to extract dye from A. ginnala fallen leaves for dyeing fish leather. The experiment involved dye extraction from A. ginnala leaves. The UV–visible absorption spectroscopy was used to evaluate the dye extract and an optimal extraction method was chosen. The dye extract was then applied to dye chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fish leather. The optimal dyeing process was determined through single-factor experiments and orthogonal experiments. The study further investigated the contribution of Fe²⁺ mordant to the dyeing performance, the color stability, and color gamut of A. ginnala dye on fish leather. The color characteristics of dyed fish leather were determined using a color spectrophotometer. And ATR-FTIR was used to examine the leather structure. The color value of dyed fish leather was assessed using the nine-color-domain model in the CNCS color system. The results indicated that dyeing fish leather with A. ginnala dye and Fe²⁺ mordant could produce stable color of black-gray tones and gradient color of gray-yellow tones. The L^* value range of the stable color was 17.03–28.46, which color style mainly characterized as low-key in V₃. The L^* value range of the gradient color was 20.20–65.30, a^* value range was −0.93–9.96, b^* value range was −5.50–28.90, C^* value range was 0.36–29.00, and h° value range was 64.03–89.00, which color style was characterized as rigorous, steady, natural, and plain. Dyeing with A. ginnala leaf dye did not affect the fish leather’s tissue structure. Furthermore, the dyed fish leather samples exhibited good color fastness to perspiration, rubbing, and sunlight. Dyeing fish leather with A. ginnala leaf dye provided a new approach for transforming high-value fish leather products.

Electrospun nanofibres of polylactic acid (PLA) are suggested for a variety of uses, including scaffolds for tissue engineering, components of drug delivery devices, sustainable packaging materials and membranes for liquid filtration/purification. For all these applications, it is critical to consider the stability of the PLA electrospun materials once in operation. Exposure to certain liquids and temperatures can modify their dimensions, shape, surface topography and mechanical response and compromise their performance. In this study, electrospun PLA mats were exposed to water and ethanol solutions, at different temperatures and for defined time periods, and changes in their properties were analysed. It was found that the impact of water on area shrinkage and fibre arrangement strongly depended on temperature, particularly if the treatment was performed at the glass transition temperature of PLA. Ethanol, instead, induced significant alterations in the size, morphology, and elastic modulus of the electrospun mats, even at room temperature and determined the formation of crimped structures. This work provides insights into the conditions that can critically affect the properties of PLA electrospun fibres and, hence, impact on their usage.

The main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of processing and material parameters on the reinforcement mat permeability through mould-filling experiments and to model the reinforcement mat permeability as a function of porosity, mat layers, test-fluid viscosity and injection pressure using machine learning (ML) techniques. Two experimental methods based on electrical sensors and visualization techniques were employed to measure the permeability through temporal flow front tracking. The fibre wetting analysis was performed using contact angle measurements to analyse the test fluid saturation at the reinforcement mats and its effect on mat permeability. Artificial neural network (ANN) and the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) ML models were adopted to model effective permeability as a function of four input parameters using the experimental data. From the results, the order of permeability was obtained between 8 × 10^–10 to 8 × 10^–9 m² for chopped strand glass-fibre mat, 8.8 × 10^–10 to 8 × 10^–9 m² for jute fibre mat, 8.9 × 10^–10 to 8.5 × 10^–9 m² for woven roving glass-fibre mat, and 8.9 × 10^–10 to 1 × 10^–8 m² for hemp fibre mat. From the fibre wetting analysis, it was found that the mat permeability decreases with the increase in the test fluid–fibre surface wetting time. From the modelling analysis, it was found that the adopted ANN and ANFIS techniques predicted permeability values qualitatively and quantitatively with R² values of 0.967 and 0.975, respectively. From the statistical analysis, ANFIS has shown an efficient correlation with the experimental permeability as a function of input key parameters than the ANN approach.

Graphical Abstract

The repair of bone defects necessitates the establishment of sophisticated gradients. However, most strategies for gradient casting require specialized apparatus and have high equipment requirements. Therefore, there is a strong desire to develop a simple method for constructing gradient scaffolds that mimic the hierarchical structure of native bone. In this study, we prepared poly (vinyl alcohol)/bacterial cellulose (PVA/BC) scaffolds with gradient hydroxyapatite (HAp) content using the buoyancy-driven gradient (BG) method. Scanning electron microscopy characterization revealed that HAp gradient scaffold exhibited the gradient microstructure and HAp content. Furthermore, HAp gradient scaffold demonstrated enhanced adhesion, spreading, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and displayed excellent osteogenic ability. Additionally, when applied in subcutaneous implantation models in mice, HAp gradient scaffold showed superior biocompatibility compared to other scaffolds tested in vitro. These results present a straightforward approach for fabricating gradient HAp bone scaffolds that hold great potential as candidate materials for bone regeneration.

In order to apply the single-constant Kubelka–Munk (KM) model to color prediction of fiber blends, a novel correction method is proposed in the paper. The single-constant KM model is based on the assumption that the ratio of absorption coefficients to scattering coefficients (K/S) of a mixture is linear to mass proportion of its components. However, when it comes to the media of pre-colored fiber blends, the linear assumption always fails, resulting in inaccurate color prediction with large color difference. To solve this problem, a novel correction method was proposed, which improved the linearity of K/S in the way of decreasing the linear deviation. Pre-colored cotton fibers were used to prepare samples to examine the proposed correction method. The average color difference values ΔE_cmc (2:1) and ΔE₀₀ of the single-constant KM model with proposed correction method are 1.37 and 1.17 respectively, which are remarkably better than those of the Kubelka–Munk model without correction (~ 8.41 and 6.35) and the Kubelka–Munk model with Saunderson correction (~ 8.63 and 6.55). The results indicate that, for the media of pre-colored fiber blends, the proposed correction method greatly improves the color prediction accuracy.

The blow-spinning technique was used as an alternative to electrospinning to obtain gelatin (Gel) nanofibers from Tilapia skins loaded with curcumin (Cur). The use of fish waste to extract Gel makes it possible to contribute to sustainable development by employing a low-cost technique to obtain biomaterials. In this way, the nanofibers obtained by the blow-spinning technique and the effect of adding Cur to these materials were evaluated by studying the viscosity of the spinning solutions and morphology, structure, mechanical, thermal and antioxidant properties, degree of crosslinking and swelling, porosity, in vitro release and cell viability of these materials. Regarding the results, the blow-spinning technique made it possible to obtain nanofibers with satisfactory diameters (323–350 nm) and adequate morphology. The addition of Cur resulted in less porous (69–78%), with better mechanical resistance (3.81–6.73 × 10⁻² N mm⁻²), more thermally stable and with lower degree of swelling nanofibers. These conditions favored the release of 75.77–99.98% of Cur. Furthermore, increasing the concentration of Cur improved its antioxidant properties, with values reaching up to 89.11%. Crosslinking occurred through possible electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions between Cur and Gel molecules (values reached 93.90%). The nanofibers also exhibited good biocompatibility (cellular viability > 70%). Therefore, it was possible to suggest that the nanofibers obtained by blow spinning can be investigated as sustainable and promising alternatives in applications such as antioxidant biocuratives.

Graphical Abstract

Cotton fabrics with durable antimicrobial ability are in high demand in the market. However, most current methods for preparing such fabrics involve complex processes and the use of various organic solvents, resulting in high energy consumption. In this study, a simpler and more environmentally friendly method using oxygen plasma treatment to enhance the surface properties of cotton fabric was proposed. By introducing the antimicrobial agent poly(hexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride) (PHMG) through impregnation, to obtain durable antimicrobial cotton fabrics. Surface analysis confirmed the successful adsorption of PHMG on the cotton fabrics. The antimicrobial cotton fabrics demonstrated better sweat stain management and a strong bactericidal effect against E. coli and S. aureus. Plasma-treated antibacterial cotton fabrics demonstrate a remarkable ability to retain strong antibacterial properties even after undergoing 50 simulated washing cycles. The antibacterial rate remains consistently above 90%. In addition, the cytocompatibility and skin irritation of the antimicrobial cotton fabrics were further investigated. The results indicated that the antimicrobial cotton fabrics demonstrated a favorable safety profile. This straightforward and environmentally friendly method for preparing antimicrobial cotton fabrics holds promise for applications in the textile and medical industries.

The demands of body armor on level of protection, weight, flexibility and comfort have always been difficult to strike an optimal balance. Most studies aim to promote the impact resistance of bulletproof materials, flexibility and comfort have not been sufficiently emphasized. Weft-knitted insertion fabric has excellent flexibility and body fitting ability, and the insertion yarns dissipate energy rapidly. In this paper, flexible composite laminates reinforced by aramid weft-knitted insertion fabrics (WKIFs) were developed. The ballistic performance was comprehensively studied based on the external damage appearance and internal damage image by high velocity impact tests and X-ray computed tomography. The finite element analysis was carried out to further explore the damage modes and failure mechanisms of composite materials. The results show that laminates reinforced by WKIFS have the potential to be applied in the bullet-proof field with the ballistic limit velocity of 365.31 m/s, 339.76 m/s and 338.29 m/s, respectively. For the laminates reinforced by weft-insertion fabrics, the front layers tend to be destroyed in shear, while the back layers are more probably to fail in tension. Further, the specific damage modes of the laminate were affected by the impact velocity of projectile. This study is of great significance to the development of flexible bullet-proof composite materials.