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In this work we describe the manufacturing of cellulosic, cell compatible scaffolds with an inherent 3D origami crease pattern for applications in cardiac tissue engineering. Different cellulosic materials were studied, among them cotton linters, fibers obtained from eucalyptus, pine, spruce and lyocell. Formed sheets made of cotton linters were chosen for further study due to the highest biocompatibility and mechanical properties best suited for cardiomyocytes in wet and dry conditions: E - modulus of 0.8 GPa, tensile strength of 4.7 MPa and tensile strength in wet environment of 2.28 MPa. Cell alignment is desired to achieve directional contraction of the cardiac tissue, and several options were investigated to achieve fiber alignment, e.g. a dynamic sheet former and Rapid Köthen sheet former. Although the orientation was minimal, cells cultured on the cellulose fibers grew and aligned along the fibers. Origami inspired crease patterns were applied to the cellulose scaffolds in order to introduce directional flexibility beneficial for cardiac contraction. The transfer of a Miura-ori crease pattern was successfully applied in two ways: folding of the dried sheet between PET foils pre-formed in a 3D printed mold, and in situ wet fiber molding on a 3D-patterned mesh mounted in the sheet former's sieve section. The latter approach enables upscaling for potential mass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) have been extensively used as point-of-care testing platforms because they are inexpensive, portable, simple, and rapid, which particularly improve their availability in resource-poor settings. However, the poor sensitivity of LFAs restricts their further applications. Herein, we proposed a novel and simple method to enhance the detection sensitivity of LFAs by embedding cotton thread-based barriers into paper and further integrating them into strips to decrease the flow rate of sample and extend the reaction time. The number and hydrophilicity of the embedded cotton threads were sequentially optimized. The flow rate of liquid in cotton thread-embedded LFAs was mathematically simulated using a circuit-like model and the simulation results are consistent with the experimental results. With using human immunodeficiency virus nucleic acid as a model target, the cotton thread-embedded LFAs presented a fourfold enhancement in detection sensitivity compared to that of the unmodified LFAs. The strategy of embedding cotton threads into paper possesses great potential for fabricating other paper-based microfluidic devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cellulosic fibre based well-being fragrance packet has been developed by Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (CIRCOT). Inside the packet, three layers of cotton nonwoven (gram per square meter 100) have been used as core material. Fragrance based natural essential oil (citronella oil) has been incorporated in the middle non-woven layer of the cotton. Volatile active species of the essential oil infused in the cotton non-woven slowly has been diffused through the upper and lower non-woven layers in the surrounding atmosphere through the pores of the paper based sheath material. As per feedback report, a fragrance released from the packet is satisfactory up to seven days in the 25–30 square feet area. Mosquito repellency of the well-being packet also has been examined by following the standard cone test method. It has been observed that the smell release from the pack is capable to repel mosquitoes (100%) up to five days after opening the pack. The intensity of the active ingredients of fragrance released from the packet with time has been measured by gas chromatography analysis. The engineered pack has lightweight, is biodegradable, delivers well-being fragrance and repels mosquitoes up to one week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials with hydrophilic-oleophobic properties are of relevance due to their application to different fields such as self-cleaning coatings, liquid-liquid separation membranes and functional textiles for different technical applications. In this work, hydrophilic-oleophobic coatings have been deposited on cellulosic materials (filter paper and bleached cotton) by means of plasma assisted polymerization of acrylic acid solutions in water followed by cationic fluorosurfactant complexation. Chemical composition of the coatings on cellulosic materials was characterized by means of FTIR-ATR and XPS whereas their morphology was studied by SEM. Hydrophilic-oleophobic behavior was characterized by means of contact angle and wetting time. Additionally wetting properties of cationic, anionic and non-ionic surfactant solutions on the hydrophilic-oleophobic coatings were used to characterize the polyelectrolyte electrostatic forces upon the functionalized layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional proban finishing technology can impart cotton fabrics with excellent flame retardance and durability. However, the technology is complex and needs special equipment. Especially ammonia fumigating technology is not friendly to the environment. Then, in this paper, this technology was improved. The bis[tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium] sulfate (THPS) was pre-polymerized with urea, and the cotton fabrics were grafted with 2,3, 2′3′-biglycidyl diethylene triamine (BGDETA) to impart cellulose N–H groups. And then, the prepolymer was grafted on cotton fabrics through pad-dry-curing technology. The improved finishing technology did not need ammonia fumigating. The BGDETA and the pre-polymerized THPS structures were characterized by nuclear magnetism test (NMR). The vertical flammability, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and conical calorimetry tests showed the excellent flame retardance of finished cotton fabrics. The 20%, 30%, and 40% treated cotton fabrics had limiting oxygen index values (LOIs) of 27.0%, 29.4%, and 31.2%, respectively. After 50 laundering cycles, according to NFPA2112-2012 Standard, the LOIs were 25.1%, 28.8%, and 29.7%. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy test (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed the flame retardant entered the inner space of the cotton fibers; the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the cotton fibers' structure was well sustained; the mechanical property and whiteness were kept well. The formaldehyde of finished cotton fabrics could decrease to 40.6 ppm after being treated with H2O2. The results showed that the improved finishing technology could replace the traditional finishing technology; the improved finishing technology is easy to carry out and still get excellent flame retardance and durable cotton fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton fiber properties, although strongly influenced by plant growth conditions, are largely dictated by the cotton variety; therefore, certain inherent associations exist among these properties. Previous studies examined the mutual influences of cotton properties (e.g., fiber maturity on strength), but latent associations between fiber length and other important properties (e.g., fineness, maturity and strength) have not been explored. This paper attempted to investigate these relationships, and to create regression models to predict the fiber properties from the length parameters so that an overview on cotton quality can be provided when only length measurements are available. We collected 100 cotton samples as a training set and 17 extra samples as a testing set, and measured the fiber length parameters using the dual beard fibrograph and the seven other fiber properties (strength, elongation, micronaire, nep, fineness, immature fiber content, and maturity ratio) using the High Volume Instrument and Advanced Fiber Information System. We then performed the correlations, multicollinearity, regression and clustering analyses on the fiber properties. It was found that the fiber length parameters had moderate associations (0.3<|r|<0.7) with the seven properties, and the prediction errors for the training set varied from 2.25% (maturity ratio) to 14.36% (nep). The Bland–Altman analysis proved that for all the seven properties, more than 94.9% of the predicted and actual points were within the 95% agreement limits and without systematic biases. The regression models based on the five cotton clusters consistently lowered the prediction errors through the optimally aggregated fiber properties. The comparable results were obtained from the testing set, which demonstrated the good generalization power of the prediction models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a flame retardant for cotton fabric containing Si, P, S, and N, namely 6-((2-((triethoxysilyl)ethyl)thio)ethyl)amino) dibenzo [c, e] [1,2] oxaphosphinine 6-oxide (TSTDP), was synthesized by click reaction and Atherton–Todd reaction using cysteamine hydrochloride, triethoxyvinylsilane (VTES) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-pxide (DOPO). The chemical structure of TSTDP was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cotton fabric was finished by TSTDP with different concentrations via sol–gel method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy, and FTIR. The properties of cotton fabric, including limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical combustion, cone calorimetry, thermal stability, tensile strength, whiteness, and washing stability, were tested. NMR and FTIR analysis confirmed that TSTDP was successfully synthesized. SEM and FTIR analysis indicated that TSTDP was successfully and uniformly loaded on cotton fabric. The flame retardance and thermal stability of cotton fabric treated with TSTDP were greatly improved. The LOI of cotton fabric with 28.8% weight gain could reach 29.9% and still remain at 26.5% after 20 washing cycles. The afterflame time and afterglow time of the cotton fabric finished with the TSTDP concentration of 100 g/L was up to 0 s. TSTDP finished cotton fabric had excellent tensile strength retention and whiteness. The synthesis of TSTDP and its finishing on cotton fabric provided a new perspective for the preparation of flame retardant textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the trend of low-carbon emissions and environmentally friendly development, this paper extracted natural dye from gardenia for cellulose fiber dyeing and endowed them with UV resistance and antibacterial properties. And more attention was paid to the dye structure of the gardenia yellow dye and its alkali-hydrolyzed gardenia yellow dye on dye uptake, UV–visible absorption characteristic peak as well as functional finishing. The main dye components of gardenia yellow dye and its alkali-hydrolyzed gardenia yellow dye were measured by the UV–visible and LC–MS spectrum. The crocin, which was the main dye components in the gardenia yellow dye, presented higher maximum absorption wavelength and darker colors compared with alkali-hydrolyzed gardenia yellow dye, which the main dye components was croceic acid. The cotton fabrics dyed with gardenia yellow dye or alkali-hydrolyzed gardenia yellow dye all indicated well dyeing performacne and functional characteristics such as antioxidant activity, UPF values and antibacterial property against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The main reason for different in the dyeing and functional performance of cotton fabrics dyed with gardenia yellow dye or its alkali-hydrolyzed dye were the removing gentiobiose molecules under alkali treatment, which changed the conjugate systems, ionization capacity, and polyphenols and flavonoids content. And the study examines the dyeing kinetics, adsorption isotherm, and thermodynamics of gardenia yellow dye and its alkali-hydrolyzed gardenia yellow dye on the cationic cotton. It is expected that achievement of this research provide guide to the value adding utilization of agricultural by-products from crop industries and view to investigate the effect of dye composition on the dyeing and functional performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton fabrics are popular for their excellent properties, but their property of creasing easily largely limits the wide application of cotton fabrics. In this paper, an organosilicon resin emulsion containing disulfide bonds was prepared with epoxy-terminated silicone oil and 4,4-diaminodiphenyl disulfide (AFD) as raw materials, and it was used as a finishing agent for the elastic finishing of cotton fabrics. The effects of raw material ratio on the elastic properties of organosilicon polymer film and the effects of emulsifier dosage and emulsification time of emulsion polymerization on the properties of organosilicon resin emulsion were studied. In addition, the effects of organosilicon finishing agent dosage, curing temperature, and curing time on the elastic properties of cotton fabric were also studied. The research results show that the average particle size of the prepared organosilicon resin emulsion is about 250 nm, the particle size distribution is concentrated and the emulsion is stable. The delayed elastic recovery angle of the cotton fabric treated with an organosilicon finishing agent can reach 185°, showing excellent high delayed elasticity. At the same time, it was found that the finished cotton fabric exhibited an excellent and special temperature-responsive shape memory function based on the existence of disulfide bonds in the organosilicon polymer network structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on assessing some characteristics (including permeability of fabrics to air, moisture water vapor absorption, weight per unit area, thermal stability, morphology) and antibacterial ability of the cotton fabric dyed with the extract from fresh Diospyros mollis (DM) Griff fruit. The aqueous DM fruit extract was applied to modified cotton fabrics. Tannins, hydroquinone, and saponins—three main components in the aqueous DM fruit extract were determined using weight method and HPLC method. The ratio of fresh DM fruits/distilled water of 1/2 (m/v) was against well to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains with the killed bacteria percentage of 96.65 and 92.29%, respectively. The change in properties of cotton fabrics after dyeing was assessed and compared to that of the undyed sample. Especially, the antibacterial ability to Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains of dyed cotton fabrics after washing cycles was tested. The obtained results showed that there were some positive changes in the air permeability, moisture water vapor absorption, and weight per unit area of the dyed cotton fabric while the thermal stability of dyed cotton fabric was not affected by dyeing process. The antibacterial ability of dyed cotton fabric was reduced when increasing the number of washing cycles. Moreover, the color fastness to rubbing, washing and light of dyed cotton fabrics reached high rating, rating of 3/5, 4/5 and 7/8, respectively. The effect of technological factors has been optimized using Minitab software with Design of experiments (DOE) by response surface design. The optimal conditions were dyeing time of 90 min, dyeing temperature of 56.56 °C and the ratio of DM extract/water of 89/100. At this condition, the dyed cotton fabrics could kill 99.9% E. coli and 99.9% S. aureus. In general, this dyed cotton fabric has potential applications in the garment, medical and other fields thanks to its excellent antibacterial ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the swelling effect of ionic liquid reverse micelle system on cotton fabric in supercritical CO2, and the influence of swelling on the dyeing of cotton fabric were studied. The results indicate that the ionic liquid reverse micelle system can cause swelling of cotton fabric. In the process of alkali free dyeing, swelling has a significant effect on the dyeing properties of cotton. With the extension of reaction time, both the crystallinity and XRD diffraction intensity of cotton fabric decreased, and the dyeing depth (K/S value) of cotton fabric increased. The temperature and molar ratio of ionic liquid to surfactant have a significant impact on the swelling of cotton fabrics. At higher temperature (90 °C), the crystallinity index of cellulose in cotton fabric significantly decreases, which affected the K/S values of dyed cotton fabric. Adding a certain amount of DMSO can promote the swelling of cotton fiber, greatly reduce crystallinity, and improve the dyeing performance of cotton fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a facile synthesis method for bio-derived (from the bark of Terminalia arjuna and tea powder) phosphorus-functionalized materials (AB-P and TP-P). The resulting biobased flame-retardant (FR) materials exhibit excellent flame retardancy properties as they contain high amounts of polyphenolics, which can easily incorporate phosphorus functional groups in the composites. To investigate the effect of graphene on the flame retardancy property, we prepare graphene-functionalized AB-P and TP-P (i.e. GAB-P and GTP-P) FR materials. These FR materials are coated on cotton fabrics and their properties are examined by conducting a simple spirit flame test, a limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, and a vertical flammability test. The GAB-P- and GTP-P-coated cotton fabrics initially emit little smoke without catching fire and sustain up to 564 s and 540 s, respectively on continuous application of flame. By contrast, the control fabric burns within 5 s. The GO-coated fabric sustains up to 20 s. The LOIs and char lengths of AB-P, TP-P, GAB-P, and GTP-P are 36.4, 37.4, 49.5, and 51.9% and 11.3, 16.4, 2.2, and 3.5 cm, respectively. These results reveal that the use of graphene enhances the flame retardancy properties of the synthesized materials. This new approach could be useful for the mass production of cost-effective, bio-derived, phosphorus-functionalized materials for different applications, including as safe and efficient FRs. The present study based on the preparation of phosphorus containing flame retardants from natural extracts such as Terminalia arjuna bark and tea powder extract for cotton fabric. The as prepared FR materials shows excellent flame retardancy which have conformed from spirit lamp test, limiting oxygen index and vertical flammability test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and improvement of fabric-based stretchable strain sensors play a vital role in constructing wearable devices. In this paper, a flexible and sensitive cotton-based strain sensor for human motion monitoring was successfully developed by facile LBL-ESA (layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly) of chitosan (or chitosan quaternary ammonium salt) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), abbreviated to PEDOT:PSS. Chemical structure and microscopic morphology of the cotton fabric coated with PEDOT:PSS were measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron micrographs, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and color strength (K/S value). Electrical conductivity of the fabric changed with the "odd–even" oscillations of K/S value of the cotton fabric. Furthermore, cotton fabric alternately deposited with five cycles reached the highest electrical conductivity (0.335 mS/cm). Meanwhile, the fabric presents excellent UV protection capacity (maximum UPF value of 385.07), which was 24.4 times of pristine cotton fabric (15.76). In addition, cotton fabric strain sensor coated by PEDOT:PSS could effectively detect finger and knee movements of humans, showing a promising prospect in the field of human rehabilitation training, real-time monitoring, and gesture recognition due to its good stability and being highly responsive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In chronic wounds, elevated human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is a destructive protease that has been proposed as a biomarker. Numerous wound dressing designs have been introduced in an effort to lower HNE levels. The clinical detection of HNE as a point of care biomarker or an in situ colorimetric adjuvant to chronic wound dressings presents potential advantages in the management of chronic wounds. A colorimetric approach to the detection of HNE using peptide conjugated cotton cellulose nanocrystals (CCN) is reported here. For this purpose a HNE tripeptide substrate, n-Succinyl-Alanine-Alanine-Valine- para-nitroanilide (Suc-Ala-Ala-Val-pNA), was covalently attached to glycine esterified CCN and compared with a similar tetrapeptide analog for colorimetric HNE sensor activity. Visible HNE activity was significantly higher on CCN tripeptide conjugates when compared with similar analogs synthesized on paper. Upon enzymatic release of para-nitroaniline (pNA) from the Glycine-CCN conjugate of succinyl-Ala-Ala-Val-pNA, amplification of the colorimetric response from pNA with reactive dyes enhanced visible absorption of the chromogen. Two color amplifying dyes that react with pNA were compared for their ability to enhance the visual sensor response to HNE activity. The colorimetric detection of HNE with CCN tripeptide conjugates was sensitive at HNE levels previously reported in chronic wound fluid (0.05 U/mL HNE). The HNE sensor and the chromogen amplifying dyes were interfaced with 50 and 10 kD dialysis cellulose membranes (DCM) to model filtration of HNE and chromogen (pNA) from a model wound dressing surface before and after sensor reactivity. The detection sensitivity to HNE activity was assessed with the CCN-tripeptide conjugate interfaced at the DCM surface distal and proximal to a dressing surface. The HNE sensor interfaced proximal to the dressing surface was most efficient with 10 kD membrane filtration of pNA and subsequent reaction with amplifying dyes. When interfaced with the 10 kD cellulose membrane, elastase sensor activity remained sensitive to 0.05 U/mL HNE. The nanocellulose surface properties, performance and design issues of the biosensor approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, acrylate-terminated polysiloxane was synthesized and used as raw materials for the synthesis of cationic core/shell polysiloxane acrylate emulsion, which was applied as binders in the pigment dyeing of cotton fabrics. The experimental results showed that: the cationic core/shell polysiloxane acrylate emulsion in this article is in nano size of 100 nm. During the film formation of the emulsion, there are core-core and shell-shell fusion phenomena between the latex particles, and the same polysiloxane chain aggregates on the surface of the film. When the emulsion is used in the pigment dyeing of cotton fabrics, the dyed cotton fabrics feel soft, and the washing fastness and dry/wet rubbing fastness meet the national quality requirements, as washing fastness can reach grade 4–5, dry rubbing fastness can reach grade 4–5, and wet rubbing fastness can reach grade 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, several methods of hydrophobization of cotton fabrics using the thio-ene click reaction were compared. Durable, superhydrophobic textiles were obtained in an easy way. Various variants of functionalized silsesquioxanes were used for the hydrophobization of fabrics. The synthesis of bifunctional silsesquioxanes (RSiMe2O)4(ViSiMe2O)4Si8O12 and (RSiMe2O)4(R'SiMe2O)4Si8O12 were performed via hydrothiolation of silsesquioxane derivative (ViSiMe2O)8Si8O12. Alkoxysilyl, alkyl and fluoroalkyl moieties were introduced as functional groups. Samples were prepared using four methods, differing in the modification method and the number of stages. During the research, fabrics were modified via (a) the dip-coating process, (b) carrying out thiol-ene click reactions directly on the surface of the fabric and (c) using both of these methods. The hydrophobicity of the fabric was evaluated by measuring the Water contact angle (WCA). The obtained samples were also examined using infrared analysis (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Elemental analysis (SEM–EDS). All analyses were performed before and after the washing process in order to verify the stability of the performed modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates that a multilayered absorbent developed using Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) modified cotton fabrics provides excellent photocatalytic degradation and remove dyes in wastewater. Low cost, highly efficient and biobased sorbents for removing dyes and other pollutants in wastewater are desirable. However, there are very few absorbents that meet these criteria. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a unique material with strong visible light absorption and valence band potential suitable for the degradation of dyes. However, the photogenerated carriers of single BiVO4 get recombined easily, and it is difficult to recover the powder which may cause secondary pollution. To overcome this limitation, we have successfully prepared a composite containing PEDOT/BiVO4/Iron oxide hydroxide (FeOOH) on cotton fabrics in a simple two-step process. Initially, cotton fabrics were treated with PEDOT and later BiVO4/FeOOH onto the modified fabrics. When the cotton-based composite was used as sorbent for reactive brilliant blue dye (RB-19), a high degradation level of 95.6% was possible within 2 h under visible light. Further, the sorbent had high recyclability of 92.3% even after 5 sorption and desorption cycles. The experiment suggests that the presence of h+ and ·OH free radicals along with excellent electron-hole transport properties of PEDOT were responsible for the high level of degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citric acid (CA) can impart good anti-wrinkle properties to treated cotton fabrics, but it also causes significant strength loss and yellowing. In this paper, Trimethyl citrate was applied to anti-crease finishing of cotton fabrics. The transesterification reaction between the ester group of trimethyl citrate and the hydroxyl group of cellulose was investigated and the possible crosslinking and anti-crease mechanism was proposed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to study the changes of infrared spectra of trimethyl citrate in heterogeneous transesterification of cotton fabrics. The results showed that trimethyl citrate can occur heterogeneous transesterification reaction with cellulose. The optimized procedure for treating fabrics was 0.1 mol / L of zinc acetate, 0.2 mol / L of trimethyl citrate, curing temperature of 130 °C, and curing time of 3 min. Consequently, the WRA of treated fabrics could be increased to 132°, 46.7% higher than that of untreated fabrics at 90°, and the strength retention rate (TSR) of treated fabrics could reach 85.7%. This indicates that transesterification has a potential for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, flexible electronic equipment has attracted considerable attention. Textile fabrics are widely used in manufacturing flexible pressure sensors because of their high flexibility and toughness. However, ordinary fabrics are electrically insulated, which limits their sensitivity to pressure. In this paper, cotton fabrics (CFs) with high conductivity were prepared by a simple two-step method. Firstly, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) suspension was deposited on CFs by vacuum filtration, and then the copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) films were coated on the surface by magnetic filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition technology (FVACD). The copper/reduced graphene oxide cotton (Cu/RGO/CF) and nickel/reduced graphene oxide cotton (Ni/RGO/CF) prepared by this method have good conductivity with a minimum resistance of 2 Ω/sq. Moreover, the RGO is closely combined with the metal layer, maintaining high conductivity after repeated washing. Highly conductive CFs can be applied to piezoresistive sensors. The research results show that the piezoresistive sensor based on composite conductive CFs has the advantages of high sensitivity, wide range (0–0.35 MPa), fast response and high stability. In addition, the sensor can realize real-time monitoring of human motion (such as the knee, wrist bending). In general, the effective washability and high conductivity of CFs coated with metal film and RGO have been successfully verified, making it one of the promising candidates for application in wearable electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) loaded on the cotton fiber can endow the fiber with good antibacterial activity, but the AgNPs on the surface of cotton fiber will leach out with the increase of washing times, which will not only greatly reduce the antibacterial properties of cotton fiber, but also cause pollution to the environment. In this paper, carboxyl groups were introduced into cotton fiber by three methods, namely selective oxidation, butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) grafting and polyacrylic acid (PAA) adsorption. The silver ions (Ag+) were adsorbed on the cotton fibers through electrostatic attraction, and after reduction, the AgNPs were loaded onto the cotton fibers, and the AgNP distribution on the fiber and its effect to the washing resistance of AgNPs were studied. The results showed that the carboxyl groups can be introduced onto the cotton fibers by all the three methods, and the reaction only occurred in the amorphous region of the fibers. The selective oxidation and the BTCA grafting can introduce carboxylic groups into the interior of cotton fibers while the PAA adsorption only imports carboxyl groups on the surface of the fiber. As a consequence, AgNPs were formed inside of the cotton fiber when the selective oxidation and the BTCA grafting were employed, while AgNPs can only be loaded on the surface of the fiber by the PAA adsorption method. AgNPs inside of the fiber have high energetic adherence, resulting in silver-cotton fabric nanocomposites with strong slow-release property and long-term antibacterial ability. The fabric nanocomposites prepared by selective oxidation and BTCA grafting exhibited high AgNP retention rate and excellent antibacterial activity even after 80 washing cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber length distribution (FLD) is one of the fundamental properties of cotton fibers, which determines cotton length attributes, such as upper half mean length and short fiber content, and thus fiber processability and yarn properties. For decades, the Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) has been the only instrument that can provide explicit FLD measurements. However, the reliability of AFIS's FLD has not been carefully inspected although important issues (e.g., excessive short fiber contents and super long fibers) were raised before. Recently, the dual-beard fibrography (DBF) emerged as a novel approach for direct FLD measurements. It provides non-destructive testing that enables repeatability analysis on FLDs. In this paper, we intend to conduct a thorough repeatability study on DBF with different testing scenarios to verify if DBF is a reliable method for FLD measurements or not, and then use DBF's FLDs to examine AFIS's FLDs to develop a better understanding of the existing problems associated with AFIS. The testing scenarios with DBF included multiple tests with one dual-beard sample at the same scanning position, the same sample at different positions, different sample reps by one scanner, and one sample rep by different scanners. The comparison tests between DBF and AFIS were performed on 29 selected cotton samples with a wide range of length uniformity. It was found that DBF's FLDs are highly repeatable on one scanner (r > 0.99, P = 0, and SSE < 0.14) and highly reproducible between two scanners (r > 0.99, P = 0, and SSE < 0.51). It was demonstrated that the FLDs produced by AFIS and DBF with the same samples are highly correlated (r ≥ 0.87 and P < 5.48e−9), even if AFIS's FLDs have consistently higher frequencies in the short fiber range (0–12.7 mm) and in a super-long fiber range (40–60 mm) unrealistic to U.S. upland cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton fabric is a prevalent natural textile. The fibers in the cotton fabric are polymers made of thousands of glucose residues linked by glycosidic bonds. Cotton fabric has good air permeability and comfortable softness, which becomes a necessity in life. However, the surface of cotton fabric contains hydrophilic groups such as hydroxyl groups that can absorb moisture. When people wear cotton fabric, it is easy to absorb moisture and breed bacteria, which reduces fabric the performance. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out long-term antibacterial treatment on cotton fabric, which extends the application scope and prolongs the service life of the fabric to a certain extent. Based on this point of view, this paper summarizes the long-acting antibacterial surface construction of cotton fabric by diverse antibacterial materials with assorted ways of action, so that cotton fabric has a better prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton fabrics are usually modified with hyperbranched polymers or silica sol solely. The finishing agents that possess the property of hyperbranched polymers and silica sol at same time and in same substance are seldom. In this paper, organosilicon loaded hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) (Si@ PAMAM) was synthesized and its structure was confirmed by 1H NMR and FT IR, the cotton fabrics were modified with Si@ PAMAM by sol–gel process. The modification effects were tested by FT IR and SEM, the salt-free dyeing properties and thermal behaviors were investigated as well. The results indicated that Si@ PAMAM graft could impart cotton fabrics salt free dyeing property. After dyed with salt free dyeing process, the color fastness, levelling property and washing endurance of grafted cotton fabrics were good. The TGA analysis showed the temperature interval of the maximum mass loss rate of modified cotton was 33 °C higher than that of blank cotton, this means the Si@ PAMAM modification can improve the heat stability of cotton fabric. The SEM demonstrated that Si@ PAMAM gel deposited on the surface of fibers well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the He non-thermal plasma treatment of liquid impregnated cotton fabrics. The cotton fabrics were soaked in either H2O, D2O or ethanol after which they were placed in an atmospheric pressure parallel-plate DBD reactor. The influence of the used liquid in combination with the plasma exposure time was studied using OES, FTIR, XPS and SEM. The addition of (deuterated) water was found to aid more efficiently in the incorporation of polar functional groups onto the cotton surface in comparison to a pure He plasma treatment. The presence of H and OH species in the discharge also caused extensive etching of the surface, which led to the formation of microcraters. The impregnation with ethanol was responsible for the formation of a plasma-based thin film on top of the cotton substrate, which was characterized by a high content of C–C bonds and a smooth surface morphology. These results show that the soaking of cotton fabric prior to plasma exposure can help to more effectively alter its surface properties compared to a dry plasma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work was the surface modification of different cellulose substrates, i.e. paper, cotton fabric and micromodal fabric. Photografting was chosen as an eco-friendly and economical surface treatment, scalable to industrial plants, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and a low MW polysilazane having photoreactive groups were proposed as an alternative to fluorinated finishing agents. FTIR-ATR measurements showed the chemical modification of the surface by effect of the photografting. Surface wettability was deeply changed while confort was unchanged, as estimated by the moisture management test and air permeability measurements (fabric breathability). Finally, fire resistance was tested by cone calorimeter test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is described which allows prediction of alkaline pulp yield. It is based on an equation which relates the pulp yield to the cellulose content and cellulose degree of polymerization of the alkaline pulp. From the slope and intercept of this linear equation, the lignin-free pulp yield, $${\text{Y}}_{\text{T}}^{{\prime }}$$ , of a pulp sample can be calculated when the lignin-free cellulose content ( $${\text{G}}^{{\prime }}$$ ) and the cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) of the pulp fiber are determined by sugar analysis and viscosimetry, respectively. In this paper the yield prediction equation is derived and validated using model celluloses and hemicelluloses. As part of the yield prediction method, a new equation was developed which corrects the cellulose degree of polymerisation obtained from the pulp intrinsic viscosity for the hemicellulose content of the pulp. The approach was successfully validated by cooking of cotton at different temperatures (160-180 °C), alkalinities (1.30-2.60 mol/L, the equivalent to an effective alkali (as NaO) charge of 12-24 % at a L/W ratio of 4.0 L/kg), sulfidities (15 and 30 %) and anthraquinone charges (0, 0.05 and 0.1 %). The cellulose protecting effect of AQ was confirmed by the lower number of glucose units removed by alkaline peeling compared to that removed during conventional alkaline or kraft cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-finishing of textile materials with metal and metal oxide nanoparticles has been in the focus of science and textile industry almost two decades. The emergence of bacteria resistance to silver nanoparticles due to over-use, cheaper precursor salts and excellent antimicrobial activity recently brought copper and copper oxide nanoparticles to scientific attention particularly for the utilization in the field of medical textiles. This paper is aimed to give an overview of the latest achievements in the finishing of cellulose fabrics with copper-based nanoparticles. Special emphasis has been given to difficulties met throughout the characterization of such textile nanocomposites caused by the copper instability. In addition the effect of various chemical modifications of cellulose fibers prior to impregnation with copper-based nanoparticles on their binding efficiency was considered. Much attention has been also paid to antimicrobial activity of such textile nanocomposites and the possibility to develop efficient antimicrobial cellulose wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As a rare element with special properties, tellurium (Te) is an important resource that has been widely used in many fields. In this paper, a novel renewable cotton fabric based Zn-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) functionalized carbon aerogel (ZALCA) was successfully prepared by a facile freeze-drying, carbonization and in situ growth method, which can be used for tellurium adsorption. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the flowerlike LDH nano-sheets are growing evenly on the surface of carbon aerogel and each LDH nano-sheet has a similar shape and size. The nitrogen sorption analysis confirmed that mesoporous ZALCA has the pores centered at about 3-5 nm and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 186.38 m2/g. Adsorption experiment results show that the ZALCA has excellent adsorption properties for tellurium ions in tellurium-containing solutions, and the maximum adsorption capacity is 132 mg/g. After recycling 10 times, the ZALCA still displayed high tellurium absorption property implies that the ZALCA has outstanding reusability performance. Therefore, the preparation of ZALCA as a tellurium adsorbent from low-cost cotton has great application potential in the recovery of tellurium.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, thermal stability and flame retardant properties of cotton fabrics modified with poly (propylene imine) dendrimer ( PPI-dendrimer) using cross linking agents have been reported. The PPI-dendrimers can be considered as novel nitrogen flame retardant agents, because they contain a large number of nitrogen-containing groups (amine end groups), which may release nitrogen gas or ammonia. In this paper, the effect of the PPI-dendrimers on thermal behavior of cotton fabric is investigated through thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, flammability (in vertical configuration) and limiting oxygen index tests. Indeed, both thermal stability and flame retarancy of the modified fabrics have significantly enhanced. Furthermore, field emission scanning electron microscopy micrographs have been studied in order to evaluate morphology of the cotton samples. Crystallinity and physical properties including crease recovery angle, breaking strength, whiteness index and hygroscopicity of the samples have been also assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Traditionally, naturally extracted Indigo has been used for dyeing cotton. Amongst all the classes of dyes for cellulosic material, vat dyes are most widely used due to their excellent fastness properties. The vat dyeing process, depending upon the subclasses, has to go through reduction phase for solubilisation, dyeing and oxidation phases at specific conditions. Even with the advent of new techniques like the electrochemical and bacterial process, their industrial use is relatively limited. Prior investigation on bacterial reduction suggests only a few possible varieties of indigo-reducing bacteria, sources of most of which are still unknown. Also to implement this processes, they are required to be performed at higher temperatures. In the present study, we have developed a novel method of vatting and dyeing using bacterial cell lysate at room temperature followed by air oxidation. This paper also compares the newly proposed processing route with the existing conventional ones, and the experimental results have shown promising results regarding improvement in dye uptake, faster dyeing, and better levelness along with their fastness properties. Besides, the proposed process ensures energy saving, dye effluent load reduction and simplifies the existing process.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the modification of cotton fabrics using a low pressure DC glow discharge obtained in air. The influence of different operating parameters such as treatment time, discharge power and operating pressure on the chemical and physical properties of the cotton fabrics is studied in detail. Surface analysis and characterization of the plasma-treated cotton fabrics is performed using vertical wicking experiments, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and weight loss measurements. The cotton fabrics show a significant increase in wicking behaviour; an effect which increases with increasing treatment time, increasing discharge power and increasing pressure. Results also show that low pressure DC glow treatment leads to surface erosion of the cellulose fibres, accompanied by an incorporation of oxygen-containing groups (C–O, C=O, O–C–O and O–C=O) on the cotton fibres. The DC glow treatment has thus the potential to influence not only the chemical but also the physical properties of cotton fabrics and this without the use of water or chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microencapsulated finishes are an important element in the development of new textiles. In this context, a large area to be explored is microencapsulation of essential oils in textiles. This technique offers the possibility of developing new products with many advantages over traditional fabrics, as traditional finishing may be ineffective for reasons related to uncontrolled release of the active principle while microencapsulation aims to achieve increased duration of the finishing effect. However, many studies present only the application of microcapsules in a textile but do not report how the release of the encapsulated material occurs or the influence of the textile matrix. This paper reports the mechanism and kinetics of controlled release of microencapsulated citronella oil in cotton and polyester. The microencapsulation was done by complex coacervation with gelatin and gum Arabic as shell materials. The resulting microcapsules were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic light scattering. They were then applied in cotton and polyester and evaluated by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Finally, the controlled release of citronella from the microcapsules deposited on the fabrics was studied in vitro. It was found that the release was directly influenced by the type of fiber: the microcapsules in polyester showed diffusion by a Fickian mechanism, while a non-Fickian kinetic model fit for the modified cotton. Comprehension of such controlled release processes is fundamental for achieving and developing more durable finishing effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]