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Premature birth is considered to be a substantial problem in perinatal medicine, which in the vast majority of cases (>60%), concerns African and South Asian countries. Nevertheless, prematurity is a global problem and is faced by both less-developed (where 12% of babies are prematurely born) and well-developed countries (with 9% prematurity rate) [1, 2]. The percentage of children born prematurely, i.e., before the 37th week of pregnancy, was 8.7% in Europe, while, in Poland, it was 7.34% [3]. Care of prematurely born babies is a huge challenge for parents and medical staff in the neonatal intensive care unit. Preterm infants, because of their low weight and gestational age, are prone to health problems and even death. For this reason, continuous monitoring of health parameters plays an important role. It is achieved by the use of various sensors that are inserted in infants’ garments. Sensor systems monitor an infant’s health condition, and then the data are transmitted to doctors or parents. This article is for illustrative purposes, aimed at presenting solutions such as the use of sensors for monitoring infants’ physiological parameters.

The article presents research on ergonomics, biophysical comfort and safety of protective clothing. The resistance of the structural, thermal and mechanical properties of five fabrics (CBXS400, GG200T, Twaron CT736, Dyneema HB26 and T1790C), differing in geometry and raw material composition used in space suits, to dangerous ionizing radiation (β and γ) occurring in space was tested. For both types of radiation, four identical one-time doses in the range of 25–100 kGy were used. The effect of the applied absorbed doses of β and γ radiation on the parameters of textiles influencing ergonomics and safety of the cosmonaut’s work was verified by structural tests (micro-computed tomography and optical microcopy), thermal resistance tests (sweating guarded-hotplate) and strength tests (tensile testing machine). Experimental studies of thermal properties are supplemented with heat transport simulations using the finite volume method performed with 3D models of real textiles. The greatest reduction of thermal resistance for Twaron CT736 (−0.0667 m2·°C·W−1 for 100 kGy of β-radiation) and Dyneema HB26 (−0.0347 m2·°C·W−1 for 50 kGy of β-radiation) is observed. Strength tests have shown that all tested textiles are resistant to both types of radiation. Three textiles were selected to create a three-layer assembly with potential application in a cosmonaut’s glove (Extravehicular Activity—EVA).

Preterm infants, due to immature and dysfunctional skin, have increased water loss through the skin and consequently a decreased body temperature. In order to develop protective garments for preterm infants, it is important to select materials that will protect the child against water and heat loss. The authors are currently involved in the development of protective garments for premature babies, which are similar to baby clothes and contain a membrane that is partially permeable for vapor in combination with textile materials. This article presents the study of materials intended for the production of protective garments for pre-term infants. Samples of materials were investigated to determine biophysical comfort (tests of heat resistance, vapor resistance according to PN-EN ISO 11092:2014-11 and air permeability according to PN-EN ISO 9237) and porosity, surface mass in accordance with PN-EN 12127, and thickness in accordance with PN-EN ISO 5084. In order to determine the porosity of materials and to visualize the structure, tests on computer microtomography were carried out. The mechanical properties of the tested materials and the evaluation of the total hand value were characterized; the samples were tested on the KES device. The aim of this study was to select the most suitable fabrics for protective garments for premature infants to prevent excessive heat and moisture loss from the body, which can lead to hypothermia. For laminates, the optimal results of vapor resistance and heat resistance were obtained for laminate (15 g·m−2 PE foil + 15 g·m−2 PP non-woven), with a level of thermal resistance of 0.0766 m2·K·W−1 and vapor resistance of 188.729 m2·Pa·W−1, and for laminate (15 g·m−2 PE foil + 10 g·m−2 PP non-woven), with a level of thermal resistance of 0.0683 m2·K·W−1 and vapor resistance of 164.085 m2·Pa·W−1. For knitted fabrics, knitwear single cotton 155 g·m−2 showed the highest thermal resistance (0.0296 m2·K·W−1), and knitwear interlock polyester 120 g·m−2 showed the lowest thermal resistance (0.0179 m2·K·W−1). Knitwear cotton 120 g·m−2 had the highest water vapor resistance (8.402 m2·Pa·W−1), while knitwear interlock polyester 130 g·m−2 sample had the lowest resistance (6.356 m2·Pa·W−1). Garments for premature babies should have moisture barrier properties and high thermal insulation. They should also be characterized by optimal air permeability properties. Sample two-layer laminate (15 g·m−2 PE foil + 15 g·m−2 PP non-woven) had the best vapor resistance and thermal insulation properties. Moreover, this sample was characterized by good air permeability and surface weight compared to the other laminate samples. During the design of garments for premature babies, it is important to reduce the surface weight to as low as possible. Among the knitted fabrics, a knitwear single cotton 120 g·m−2 knitwear polyester interlock 120 g·m−2 was selected for having the best THV or tactile comfort. In addition, these knits were chosen for their lower surface weight. Based on the conducted tests, two-layer laminate (15 g·m−2 PE foil + 15 g·m−2 PP non-woven), the knitwear single cotton 120 g·m−2, and knitwear polyester interlock 120 g·m−2 were selected for further research.

The thermal properties of clothing products are influenced by external environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, air flow and parameters related to the user’s body, which mainly include temperature and humidity. Depending on the type of raw material, its thickness and the material manufacturing technique, clothing products are characterised by certain insulating properties to protect the human body from external factors. A multilayer system made of different material groups can change the thermal insulating capacity significantly, which cannot be determined by the testing of individual layers used in the production. In order to determine the influence of weather conditions on thermal insulation and air permeability, tests were carried out for two types of sleeping bags (summer and autumn) produced by the same manufacturer, differing in insulation thickness. Simulations were carried out using SolidWorks and verified using a Newton thermal mannequin. During tests, both the temperature (range from −20 °C to 20 °C) and humidity values were changed (range 40–80% humidity). For sleeping bags, the effective thermal insulation decreases along with the increase of temperature and decrease of humidity. It can be observed, for the autumn sleeping bags, that for a temperature of 20 °C and humidity of 60%, the thermal insulation is 1.063 m2·K·W−1, while for a temperature of −20 °C and humidity of 60% thermal insulation increases significantly and amounts to 1.111 m2·K·W−1. A similar situation occurs for the effective thermal insulation of a summer sleeping bag (20 °C/60% thermal insulation is 0.794 m2·K·W−1, while for −20 °C/60%—0.851 m2·K·W−1. During the tests, the humidity and temperature between the layers of the clothing system were also controlled, in order to learn more about the influence of these parameters on the thermal insulation properties of the sleeping bags.

In this study, the new tool for measuring thermal insulating power of garments for premature babies under coupled heat and moisture transport was developed. The thermal mannequin corresponds to the body weight and size of a premature baby born in the thirty fourth week of pregnancy. The mannequin surface temperature can be set at various levels, while the heat loss is measured in W/m2. The mannequin is divided into eleven independent heating zones and seven independent zones of moisture evolution. The study also presents the test results of heat insulating power obtained for the newly developed garment set with commercially available garment set for babies, conducted under different climatic conditions. The results exhibit the advantage of the new material construction of the garment over the commercially available one.

This article presents research on ergonomics and physiological comfort of protective clothing. Biophysical properties of selected three-layer textile assemblies that differ in geometry and raw material composition for the production of types of mummy sleeping bags for premature babies were investigated. The tests included measurements of air permeability, thermal resistance and water vapor resistance (both by means of human skin model), thermal insulation, and water vapor resistance (both using newborn manikin). Experimental research was supplemented by modeling the thermal insulation of the assemblies by designing their 3D models using selected CAD software and applying the finite volume method. The obtained results allowed the evaluation of the influence of different geometry and the raw material composition of the proposed assemblies on the performance parameters of protective clothing.

In this article we present the results of our investigations of reduction of graphene oxide overprints, deposited by ink-jet method, by hydrobromic acid. Our study presents impact of different parameters of reduction, such as a temperature and time of the process on the chemical composition and electrical conductivity of the resulting material – reduced graphene oxide. Our results show the outstanding potential of this method for use in the production of flexible and elastic electronics and indicate the optimal parameters of reduction, which allow producing the optimal product.