Over the last ten years a new trend of research activities regarding the flame retardancy of polymeric materials has arisen. Indeed, the continuous search for new flame retardant systems able to ...replace the traditional approaches has encouraged alternative solutions, mainly centred on nanotechnology. In this context, the deposition of nanostructured coatings on fabrics appears to be the most appealing and performance suitable approach. To this aim, different strategies can be exploited: from the deposition of a single monolayer consisting of inorganic nanoparticles (single-step adsorption) to the building-up of more complex architectures derived from layer by layer assembly (multi-step adsorption). The present paper aims to review the application of such systems in the field of polyester and polyester-cotton blend fabrics. The results collated by the authors are discussed and compared with those published in the literature on the basis of the different deposition methods adopted. A critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages exhibited by these approaches is also presented.
Structural materials, typically based on metal, have been gradually substituted by high-performance composites based on carbon fibers, embedded in a polymer matrix, due to their potential to provide ...lighter, stronger, and more durable solutions. In the last decades, the composites industry has witnessed a sustained growth, especially due to diffusion of these materials in key markets, such as the construction, wind energy, aeronautics, and automobile sectors. Carbon fibers are, by far, the most widely used fiber in high-performance applications. This important technology has huge potential for the future and it is expected to have a significant impact in the manufacturing industry within Europe and, therefore, coordination and strategic roadmapping actions are required. To lead a further drive to develop the potential of composites into new sectors, it is important to establish strategic roadmapping actions, including the development of business and cost models, supply chains implementation, and development, suitability for high volume markets and addressing technology management. Europe already has a vibrant and competitive composites industry that is supported by several research centers, but for its positioning in a forefront position in this technology, further challenges are still required to be addressed.
Functional textiles are one of the most important fields in textile industry and textile materials science. They include breathable, heat and cold-resistant materials, ultra-strong fabrics (e.g. as ...reinforcement for composites), new flameretardant fabrics (e.g. intumescent materials), optimisation of textile fabrics for acoustic properties, etc. Functional textiles became more and more important materials for various applications and interest in them grew year by year; and more and more conferences are focused on functional textiles, as well as the events which are not only textile conferences but encompass various fields of Material Science. This paper presents a short overview about the European Materials Research Society 2014 Fall meeting conference Symposium M “Functional textiles - from research and development to innovations and industrial uptake” and the projects which participated as symposium co-organisers: the European Coordination Action 2BFUNTEX funded by the EC 7th Framework Programme NMP, the COST Action MP1105 on “Sustainable flame retardancy for textiles and related materials based on nanoparticles substituting conventional chemicals (FLARETEX)” and the COST Action MP1206 on “Electrospun Nano-fibres for bio inspired composite materials and innovative industrial applications”.
Focusing on the use of nanotechnology, interactive clothing and biotechnological processes, this volume presents the latest developments on protective clothing for military and civilians. Both ...comfort and ballistics are considered, and several practical examples are discussed.
It is known that artificial turf surfaces based on LLDPE monofilaments have the potential to replace natural turf surfaces used for several sport surfaces. Even though the production parameters have ...a strong influence on the behaviour of monofilaments and indirectly on the final product, the effect of heat treatment at different stages of the production lines is not studied in detail. Therefore, the influence of heat treatment during the production of monofilaments was investigated. This investigation includes a study of the mechanical properties such as tensile testing and bending behaviour and morphological analyses by employing DSC measurements. The results show that the applied heat treatment has a strong influence on the bending behaviour even though the classical studied morphology structures do not show significant changes. Heat treatment influences quite importantly the characteristics of the non-crystalline part of the monofilaments and results in better long-term properties, such as resilience, deformation recovery and fibrillation resistance.
Bio-derived phytic acid exhibits great potential to improve the flame retardancy of textile materials, but it has poor washing durability. In order to address this problem, an efficient, reactive, ...and phosphorus-containing flame retardant (FR) HPPHBTCA was synthesized using phytic acid, pentaerythritol and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, and the chemical structure of HPPHBTCA was characterized. HPPHBTCA was applied to develop FR functional wool fabric, and its FR efficiency and washing durability were evaluated. The wool fabric treated with 0.14 mol/L HPPHBTCA had self-extinguishing performance even after 20 washing cycles during the vertical burning test, presenting good FR ability and resistance to washing. The catalytic char-forming effect of HPPHBTCA contributed to the enhanced FR and smoke suppression properties of wool fabric, and the ester bonds formed between HPPHBTCA and wool fiber resulted in the good washing durability. The HPPHBTCA treatment had a negligible effect on the whiteness, tensile strength and handle of wool fabric. This study offers a novel route to prepare the eco-friendly and durable FR agent using natural and phosphorus-containing compound.
This study comprises a detailed morphological study of cold-drawn polyethylene monofilaments by Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray measurements. The structure of ...the three-phase morphology of the linear low-density polyethylene monofilaments was investigated by combining these measurements. It was found that the most important structure variation was found in the intermediate or rigid amorphous phase, whereby the amounts of crystalline and amorphous phases were nearly constant and almost independent of the cold-draw ratio. The intermediate third phase contains gauche and transmolecules, and the amount of transmolecules was increased with the cold-draw ratio and was directly related to this cold-draw ratio. It was found that the two peaks in the Raman spectra, respectively, at 1303 and 1295 cm−1, can be correlated to the amount of gauche and transmolecules in the polyethylene monofilaments. A good and new insight into the three-phase morphology was obtained by combining the DSC and X-ray measurements with the amounts of trans- and gauche molecules from the Raman spectra analysis.
Terrorism has become an integral part of everyday life in recent years and has dramatically affected the quality of life for individuals in society. Technology is the key to combating terrorism and ...protecting ordinary citizens, first responders and soldiers, among others, from danger. The area of intelligent or smart textiles is a rather new but rapidly emerging discipline with a high potential for payoff in the fight against terrorism. Each chapter in the book provides an in-depth assessment of one particular facet of this emerging discipline - from analysis of the threats and sensing technologies to ergonomics of protecting clothing - presented by leading international experts at a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Zadar, Croatia. This first-of-its-kind compendium provides a solid foundation for those researchers beginning to work in this new discipline; it can also serve as a textbook for graduate students and finally, be a valuable reference for readers interested in the field.
The serious potassium loss during the activation process of carbon materials is a troublesome issue that should be highly addressed due to its unfavorable affect to environment and industrialized ...application. In this study, the co-activation technology was investigated and demonstrated on its positive effect to decrease the potassium release. A co-activated carbon with petroleum coke (PC) and a biomass (Artemisia Hedinii) derived semi-char as raw materials has been prepared. The results show that the combined use of petroleum coke and the biomass semi-char during activation process contributes to 12.73% and 9.42% decrease of potassium loss when compared with that for the individual feedstock activation respectively. Moreover, the co-activation makes larger SSA and total pore volume than the same situation with petroleum coke only. In addition, to increase the added value of active carbon, the feasibility of the co-activated carbon as an anode material of potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) was further explored. The evaluation results of electrochemical performance indicate that the co-activated carbon electrode exhibits excellent long-term cycling stability up to 500 cycles with a capacity retention of 94.5% and good rate capability, implying its promising application in large-scale electrochemical energy storage.
Display omitted
•A promising anode material for potassium storage is synthesized with petcoke and biomass derived semi-char.•The co-activation of petcoke and biomass derived semi-char presents less potassium loss during the activation process.•The co-activated carbon material exhibits excellent long-term cycling stability and rate ability for K-ion batteries.
PDF
