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The research in textiles is being driven by ecology, economy, and functionality. Therefore, the present research is focused on the development of multifunctional textiles that consume minimum energy during their processing, eco-friendly chemicals for functionalization, and use short processing steps. Eco-friendly cross-linkers such as butanetetracarboxylic acid and zinc oxide nanoparticles are used to impart wrinkle recovery, antibacterial activity, ultraviolet (UV) protection, bending rigidity, and antistatic properties to cotton fabric just in one step. The treated fabric has been characterized with Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffractometer. Wrinkle recovery, tear strength, antibacterial activity, UV protection, and antistatic properties were tested with AATCC 66-1990, ASTM D 1224, AATCC 147, AATCC 183, and UNI EN 1149, respectively. The treated fabric shows excellent functional properties up to 20 washing cycles.

Aerogels, due to their unique features like lightweight, ultra-low thermal conductivity, and design variations, have gotten a lot of interest in thermal insulation, photocatalysis, and protective areas. Besides their superior thermal properties, aerogel thermal insulation and photocatalyst materials also possess many inherent flaws, such as handling issues, high manufacturing costs, and low strength as well as toughness. The most persuasive and successful ways to improve photocatalytic and thermal insulating qualities while lowering costs are composition optimization and microstructure reconstruction. Their high surface area and porosity make them ideal for enhancing the efficiency and capacity of these devices. Research may lead to more efficient and longer-lasting energy storage solutions. This review describes the characteristics, microstructural reconstruction, design variation, and properties of all aerogel fabrication techniques and provides a comprehensive overview of scientific achievements linked to them. The effectiveness of raw material compositions, properties, and mechanical parameters are also discussed. The major goal of this review is to highlight the aerogel-based materials and design variations and to explore the most potential development trends for photocatalysis and thermal applications. The industrial as well as technical applications of silica aerogels are also highlighted. This review highlights futuristic applications of aerogel-based textile materials to alleviate the CO2 burden on our atmosphere, either by providing next-level thermal insulation or by employing them in CO2 mitigating technologies such as CO2 capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent washing of textiles poses a serious hazard to the ecosystem, owing to the discharge of harmful effluents and the release of microfibers. On one side, the harmful effluents from detergents are endangering marine biota, while on the other end, microplastics are observed even in breastfeeding milk. This work proposes the development of sunlight-driven cleaning and antibacterial comfort fabrics by immobilizing functionalized Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles. The research was implemented to limit the use of various detergents and chemicals for stain removal. A facile sol–gel method has opted for the fabrication of pristine and Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles at three different mole percentages of Zn. The nanoparticles were successfully functionalized and immobilized on cotton fabric using silane coupling agents via pad–dry–cure treatment. As-obtained fabrics were characterized by their surface morphologies, availability of chemical functionalities, and crystallinity. The sunlight-assisted degradation potential of as-functionalized fabrics was evaluated against selected pollutants (eight commercial dyes). The 95–98% degradation of dyes from the functionalized fabric surface was achieved within 3 h of sunlight exposure, estimated by color strength analysis with an equivalent exposition of bactericidal activities. The treated fabrics also preserved their comfort and mechanical properties. The radical trapping experiment was performed to confirm the key radicals responsible for dye degradation, and h+ ions were found to be the most influencing species. The reaction pathway followed the first order kinetic model with rate constant values of 0.0087 min−1 and 0.0131 min−1 for MB and MO dyes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitization of a society has tremendously influenced the social, economic, and organizational activities of human beings. Internet of things (IoT) will be the next norm to ensure well-being, protection, and comfort of the human beings. Owing to the crisis in energy and consumption of fuel, the research in energy harvesters and autonomous sensors has been focused to develop self-powered wearable devices. The stand-alone energy devices are not suitable to fulfill the requirement of supplying power to the various wearable devices because of higher weight, large volume, frequent recharging, and replacement. The integration of wearable devices into textile materials has recently fostered the emergence of textile-based piezoelectric energy harvesters and sensors. A critical review has been presented on the current status of the textile-based piezosensors and energy harvesters, covering fundamental aspects like probable piezocoatings, fabrication strategies, material choices, working principles, theory behind piezoelectric energy harvesting devices and possible potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The contribution of piezoelectric materials in electrical and electronic devices is increasing day by day owing to their promising unique characteristics. Here, polyvinylidene fluoride (P VDF) films were deposited on carbon fabric through solution cast technique. The evolution of ferroelectric β-phase in the films is controlled by the composition of the casting solution, number of layers of the films and drying conditions. The deposited films were characterized by FT IR, XRD, DSC, optical microscopy and open circuit voltage and closed-circuit current. The use of a hydrated salt in the casting solution, higher number of layers and drying in an oven at 50 °C results in higher content of β-phase. The observations depict that using this simple technique of deposition the output voltage and output current can be tailored as 95 V to 296 V and 1.5 μA to 5 μA for variable force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global demand for functional textiles is continually increasing for both conventional as well as advanced technical applications. Nanomaterials have the potential to transform the textile industry by imparting multifunctional properties such as physical, chemical and biological self‐cleaning, ultraviolet (UV) protection, wrinkle resistance and coloration to textiles without compromising the inherent characteristics of the substrate. This review highlights some of the major applications of nanomaterials to textile substrates to obtain different functional properties. Possible side effects of the nanomaterials on textiles are also reviewed, along with potential hazards to humans and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work, multifunctional cotton fabric comprising of UV protection, superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity has been developed using facile pad-dry-cure method. In the first step, the concentration of repellent chemical has been optimized. Then, formulations containing nanoparticles of ZnO or TiO2 along with optimized concentration of repellent chemical and organic-inorganic binder have been applied to cotton fabric followed by the evaluation of functional properties. The surface morphology and elemental composition of treated fabric has been characterized through SEM and EDX, respectively. The treated samples have shown promising UV protection, superhydrophobicity and antibacterial properties durable upto 20 washing cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inducing multifunctionality is the need of the products used in diverse environments. Here, polyurethane-based water repellent, flame retardant and antibacterial coatings are fabricated on cotton fabrics which sequentially involve the deposition of coating through knife coating, drying and curing of coated fabric. Taguchi design has been used to optimize the parameters for enhanced water repellency, flame retardancy and antibacterial activity. When applied individually, the performance characteristics enhance with the increase in concentration of respective finishing agent. However, a different behaviour was shown by the coated fabric when applied all the finishing agents simultaneously. Taguchi design enabled the monitoring of interdependency of different concentrations of chemicals and finding the most influencing parameters for efficient performance of coated fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface energy (SE) is the most sensitive and fundamental parameter for governing the interfacial interactions in nanoscale carbon materials. However, on account of the complexities involved of hybridization states and surface bonds, achieved SE values are often less in comparison with their theoretical counterparts and strongly influenced by stability aspects. Here, an advanced facing-target pulsed dc unbalanced magnetron-sputtering process is presented for the synthesis of undoped and H/N-doped nanocrystalline carbon thin films. The time-dependent surface properties of the undoped and H/N-doped nanocrystalline carbon thin films are systematically studied. The advanced plasma process induced the dominant deposition of high-energy neutral carbon species, consequently controlling the intercolumnar spacing of nanodomain morphology and surface anisotropy of electron density. As a result, significantly higher SE values (maximum = 79.24 mJ/m²) are achieved, with a possible window of 79.24-66.5 mJ/m² by controlling the experimental conditions. The intrinsic (size effects and functionality) and extrinsic factors (atmospheric exposure) are resolved and explained on the basis of size-dependent cohesive energy model and long-range van der Waals interactions between hydrocarbon molecules and the carbon surface. The findings anticipate the enhanced functionality of nanocrystalline carbon thin films in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interdependence of ‘size’ and ‘volume-fraction’ hinders the identification of their individual role in the interface properties of metal nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a matrix. Here, the case of Cu NPs embedded in a C matrix is presented for their profound antibacterial activity. Cu:C nanocomposite thin films with fixed Cu content (≈12 atomic%) are prepared using a plasma process where plasma energy controls the size of Cu NPs (from 9 nm to 16 nm). An inverse relationship between the size-effect on antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is established through the real time monitoring of an aliquot by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which confirmed the inverse relationship of Cu ion release from the nanocomposite with varied Cu NP sizes. It was found that enhancing the total power density increases the plasma density as well as effective kinetic energy of the plasma species, which in turn creates a large number of nucleation sites and restricts the island kind of growth of Cu NPs. The mechanism of NP size-control is illustrated on the basis of ion density and nucleation and the growth regime of plasma species. This physical approach to NP size reduction anticipates a contamination-free competitive recipe of size-control to capping based chemical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study dealt with emulsive fabrication of chitosan microcapsules encapsulating essential oils in the present of bio/surfactant. The size distribution, morphology and stability of microcapsules were examined by using advanced surface characterisation techniques. At cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration of 330 mg/L, the smallest average size of microcapsules was observed as12.8 μm; whereas with biosurfactant at 50 mg/L, the microcapsules of smallest average size of 7.5 μm were observed. The fabricated microcapsules were applied on a desized, bleached and mercerised cotton fabric by using pad-dry-cure method by using a modified dihydroxy ethylene urea as a cross-linking agent. The cross-linking was confirmed by using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The antibacterial activity of finished fabric was evaluated using the turbidity estimation method. The stiffness and wrinkle recovery properties of the treated fabric were also investigated by using the standard methods. In general, antibacterial activity of treated fabric increased with the increase in chitosan and essential oil concentrations, whereas stiffness increased with increase in concentration of chitosan but decreased with increase in essential oil concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid proliferation of electronic devices and their operation at high frequencies has raised the contamination of artificial electromagnetic radiations in the atmosphere to an unprecedented level that is responsible for catastrophe for ecology and electronic devices. Therefore, the lightweight and flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are of vital importance for controlling the pollution generated by such high-frequency EM radiations for protecting ecology and human health as well as the other nearby devices. In this regard, polymeric textile-based shielding composites have been proved to be the best due to their unique properties such as lightweight, excellent flexibility, low density, ease of processability and ease of handling. Moreover, such composites cover range of applications from everyday use to high-tech applications. Various polymeric textiles such as fibers, yarn, woven, nonwoven, knitted, as well as their hybrid composites have been extensively manipulated physically and/or chemically to act as shielding against such harmful radiations. This review encompasses from basic concept of EMI shielding for beginner to the latest research in polymeric-based textile materials synthesis for experts, covering detailed mechanisms with schematic illustration. The review also covers the gap of materials synthesis and their application on polymeric textiles which could be used for EMI shielding applications. Furthermore, recent research regarding rendering EMI shielding properties at various stages of polymeric textile development is provided for readers with critical analysis. Lastly, the applications along with environmental compliance have also been presented for better understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis and modification of nanoparticles to make them suitable to functionalise a substrate for various application fields involves many steps, which are complex, time-consuming, and sometimes require special equipment. This is a major drawback to meet rapid technological requirements. In this work, a procedure has been developed to modify TiO2 nanoparticles by the sol-gel method at their synthesis stage using titanium tetraisopropoxide and modifying agents including ODS and GPTMS. The prepared nanoparticle finish can be used as it is without any further processing, thus eliminating the need for extra steps required to decorate them on some substrate. The nanoparticles were characterised by SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, and zeta potential. The adhesion of the obtained nanoparticles was tested by applying them to a cellulosic substrate. The obtained substrate was subjected to mechanical action and adhesion efficiency was estimated on the basis of UV transmittance and antibacterial properties that showed excellent results. The hydrophobic properties of the obtained nanoparticles were assessed by measuring water contact angles, which reached 157.9°, indicating their superhydrophobic nature. The developed procedure is facile and will be suitable for the engineering of multiple surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developing Cu:C nanocomposite films using plasma cosputtering process for microstructure control. • Control of surface morphology and porosity for release of Cu ions. • Correlation of film composition and film structure with antibacterial activity. This study presents magnetron plasma co-sputtering process for the synthesis of carbon thin films embedded with Cu nanoparticles (NPs). Varying the working pressure and power density of Cu target, induces control over morphology as well as the amount of Cu ions release while interacting with bacterial aliquots. The crystallographic observations present the formation, growth and orientation of crystals in Cu NPs. Raman spectroscopy depicts that increase in working pressure contributes to the development of carbon matrix structure dominating sp3 hybridizations. The variation in chemical structure with varying the plasma conditions is studied by high resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity, observed against staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escheria coli (E. coli), is strongly related to the release of Cu ions from the films. The nanocomposite films releasing Cu ions ∼1.68 µg/g of the aliquot, completely inhibit the bacterial growth. Obtained excellent antibacterial activity of presented Cu embedded nanostructured carbon films proves these films as a promising candidate in bio-medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of 5 G wireless networks and modern electronic communication equipment has resulted in electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiation pollution which led to the detrimental effects on sensitive precision electronics and on human health. A substantial amount of research has been done to develop efficient products for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. In this concern, electromagnetic interference shielding textiles have gained huge attention to protect human beings from these radiations. This review gives an overview of the basic introduction of conductive textiles, effects of electromagnetic radiation, EMI shielding mechanisms, and factors that are responsible for EMI shielding. The synthesis and characterization of conductive inks and advanced materials which are utilized for EMI shielding textiles are discussed in detail. Metals, conductive polymers, and carbon-based materials have gained huge intention to develop EMI shielding textiles. Moreover, the dominant mechanism of shielding, frequency range, and conductivity of materials has also been discussed. On the basis of our comprehensive analysis the outlooks for future research are also discussed. • A review on recent Advances in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding textiles. • Conductive textiles play a major role in protecting humans from hazardous electromagnetic radiation. • Incorporation of metals, conductive polymers, and carbon-based materials in textiles to achieve high EMI Shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interference and pollution caused by electromagnetic radiation have become serious concerns due to the advancements in telecommunications and electronic technology. Highly efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are thus urgently needed. The primary purpose of this research is to design silver/polyaniline/aminated graphene oxide based EMI shielding textiles over a wide frequency range to protect humans from harmful electromagnetic radiation. For this, layer by layer strategy was adapted to develop conductive textiles for remarkable EMI shielding performance in a wide range of frequency. Electroless plating of silver was performed on polyaniline-based aminated graphene oxide (AGO) fabric to achieve a multilayered structure. Our shielding effectiveness (SE) findings demonstrate that these modified fabrics provide excellent EMI shielding efficiency across multiple frequency bands, including UHF, L -band, S-band, C-band, and X-band. The modified fabric showed EMI SE greater than 40 dB in all bands of frequency and it is greater than the commercial requirement. Moreover, these fabrics are antibacterial and hydrophobic in nature and the greatest antibacterial activity was exhibited by silver/polyaniline/aminated graphene oxide fabric about 97 % and 99% against E.coli and S. aureus respectively. These modified fabrics have the potential to significantly reduce electromagnetic radiation pollution and protect human life owing to their exceptional EMI shielding properties. [Display omitted] • Developed conductive textiles using aminated graphene oxide/silver/polyaniline. • Multilayered structure provides excellent EMI shielding performance. • Valuable for reducing electromagnetic radiation pollution and protecting human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]