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This study aims to systematically compare the effect of increasing fiber–matrix interface adhesion and matrix toughness in layered composite materials.

Silane ((3-glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane) was applied to strengthen the fiber–matrix interface connection in e-glass/epoxy laminated composite material. Using a cationic surfactant, 0.1% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added to the matrix in two different ways, by with and without chemical functionalization using the vacuum infusion method.

In the results obtained from the three-point bending test specimens, it was determined that the synergistic effect of silane application and non-functionalized CNT in the matrix was higher in terms of flexural modulus and strength values.

The functionalization of multi-walled CNT did not give the expected results because of reasons such as viscosity increase and agglomeration in the matrix.

In this study, a simple model for normalization and prediction purposes was developed, which allows the determination of the flexural modulus and un-notched flexural strength values from one test result of the notched specimen. A systematic comparison was performed by varying each parameter in the composite material.

Dehydrated bacterial cellulose’s (BC) intrinsic rigidity constrains applicability across textiles, leather, health care and other sectors. This study aims to yield a novel BC modification method using glycerol and succinic acid with catalyst and heat, applied via an industrially scalable padding method to tackle BC’s stiffness drawbacks and enhance BC properties.

Fabric-like BC is generated via mechanical dehydration and then finished by using padding method with glycerol, succinic acid, catalyst and heat. Comprehensive material characterizations, including international testing standards for stiffness, bending properties (cantilever method), tensile properties, moisture vapor transmission rate, moisture content and regain, washing, thermal gravimetric analysis, derivative thermogravimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and colorimetric measurement, are used.

The combination of BC/glycerol/succinic acid dramatically enhanced porous structure, elongation (27.40 ± 6.39%), flexibility (flexural rigidity of 21.46 ± 4.01 µN m; bending modulus of 97.45 ± 18.20 MPa) and moisture management (moisture vapor transmission rate of 961.07 ± 86.16 g/m²/24 h; moisture content of 27.43 ± 2.50%; and moisture regain of 37.94 ± 4.73%). This softening process modified the thermal stability of BC. Besides, this study alleviated the drawbacks for washing (five cycles) of BC and glycerol caused by the ineffective affinity between glycerol and cellulose by adding succinic acid with catalyst and heat.

The study yields an effective padding process for BC softening and a unique modified BC to contribute added value to textile and leather industries as a sustainable alternative to existing materials and a premise for future research on BC functionalization by using doable technologies in mass production as padding.

Tourism in Coimbra today is influenced by the fact that the Univer(s)city was distinguished as a World Heritage Site in 2013. The number of visits has grown very significantly in recent years, but the diversification of the tourist offer is still weak and unable to take advantage of existing resources. This paper aims to present genealogy tourism as an alternative urban cultural tourism in Coimbra.

Methodology involved mapping the Jewish culture elements in the city of Coimbra, and a route was outlined and proposed.

Genealogy tourism resources are identified in the historic centre of the city. These alternative spaces need urban rehabilitation and (re)functionalisation, which allowed the authors to rethink tourism in Coimbra. They are the motivation to visit for all urban cultural tourists, especially Israelis/Jews, and provide contact with places where the experiences of ancestors combine with the history and memory of places, with recent discoveries and the elements of Jewish culture in the city.

It is concluded that the quantity, diversity, authenticity and singularity of the heritage resources that bear witness to the Jewish presence in Coimbra are sufficient assets to create a route, to enrich the tourist experience in the city and to include the destination in the Sephardic routes.

The production of commodities from renewable organic material has gained enormous interest due to the rising public understanding of conscious development. Natural fibers are accessible in environment, and their parameters depend on their physical traits and chemically engineered makeup. Grewia optiva (GO) comes under the category of bast fibers, also known as Bhimal. This study aims to realize the consequences of alkali treatment on the characterization of natural fibers, their developed yarn and then the woven mat.

Raw fiber was treated with 20% alkali solution. After treatment, it was evaluated for changes in the general laboratory system. This treatment is known as mercerization, through which the parameters of cellulose fibers can be enhanced. After this process, the content of cellulose increases due to the removal of the hydroxyl group. The removal of microfibrils, hemicellulose and the introduction of hydrogen bonds increase the interactive capacity of fiber. The job was divided into different sections, including acquiring fiber, developing yarn and creating a mat.

The quality of the surface of the fiber was enhanced after the treatment. Its diameter was reduced to 54.72 microns. In the developed woven mat, it was densified using water treatment and attained grams per square meter (GSM) of 389.7.

The usage of mercerization softens the fiber to twist into yarn, which is finally woven into a mat. Treatment of fabric or mat makes it denser to impart better strength. A woven mat of natural fibers provides maximum strength to the composites.

Here, diazo coupling reaction was imparted on chemically inert lignin isolated from natural resources. Activated lignin was coupled with the diazotised aniline, m-nitroaniline, p-nitroaniline-, and p-anisidine gives organic pigments.

The continuous increase in particle size of pigments confirms addition of diazotised salt to lignin by coupling reaction. Further, the dispersing ability of these coloured pigments were exploited in polymer matrix. Epoxy-polyamine cross linking system was doped with difference percentage of pigments and coated on mild steel metal surface. The morphology of these composites was understood by SEM, particle size, differential scanning calorimeter and thermo gravimetric analysis.

The synthesised organic pigments were characterised by FT-IR, ¹H NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy. It was observed that hiding power of aniline- and m-nitroaniline–based azo pigments was more than p-nitroaniline- and p-anisidine–based azo pigments. Thermal properties as well as water contact angles of coatings were improved with pigment concentration. The chemical resistivity of coating was observed to be improved with the increasing % of lignin-based azo pigment.

Lignin-based azo pigment has great potential to replace metal oxide pigment and provide strategy for utilisation of lingo-cellulosic biowaste material.

This chapter investigates the importance of fashion houses in the progressive redefinition of tourism geography within a metropolitan context. The purpose is to highlight how these brands manage both to integrate marginal urban areas into the tourist circuits and to co-construct market-oriented heritage policies. Through the case of Fendi Roma and the EUR district (Rome, Italy), this chapter explores their degrees of involvement in the processes of requalification and estheticization of peripheral urban areas. The study found that the involvement of the luxury brand in Roman urban governance is symptomatic of evolutions in the political strategies pursued by public actors in their relations with private investors.

This study aims to develop two piezoelectric textile devices formed from different weft knitted fabric rapports (Jersey and Pique) to be applied in the renewable energy’s (RE) area.

Two different weft knitted rapports were produced with polyester (PES). The device developed has five layers: a central of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nonwoven, involved by two insulating layers of PES knitted fabric; and two conductive external layers, made of polypyrrole-coated PES knitted fabric. The piezoelectric textile devices were joined by sewing the five layers of the device.

The FTIR technique confirmed the β-phase in the PVDF nonwoven. This study produced and tested two different textiles devices with piezoelectric behavior, confirmed by the correlated pattern of voltage and tensile stress difference curves, showing the potential application in RE’s and sustainable energies field as smart textiles, such as devices incorporated in garments in the areas of high movement (elbow, knee, foot, fingers and hands, among others), and as an energy generator device

Textile materials with piezoelectric properties promise to advance RE’s developments due to their high material flexibility and sensitivity to the electrical response. The knitted fabric technology presents flexibility due to its construction process. Comparative studies analyzing the electrical response between knitted and woven fabrics have already been realized. However, there is a gap in terms of research scientific research regarding the comparison of the piezoelectric effect in a material that presents different knitted fabric rapports.

Gallic acid is a substance that is widely found in nature. Initially, it was only used as a corrosion inhibitor to retard the rate of corrosion of metals. In recent years, with intensive research by scholars, the modification of coatings containing gallic acid has become a hot topic in the field of metal protection. This study aims to summarize the various preparation methods of gallic acid and its research progress in corrosion inhibitors and coatings, as well as related studies using quantum chemical methods to assess the predicted corrosion inhibition effects and to systematically describe the prospects and current status of gallic acid applications in the field of metal corrosion inhibition and protection.

First, the various methods of preparation of gallic acid in industry are understood. Second, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid as a metal corrosion inhibitor are presented. Then, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid involved in the synthesis and modification of various rust conversion coatings, nano-coatings and organic resin coatings are described. After that, studies related to the evaluation and prediction of gallic acid corrosion inhibition on metals by quantum chemical methods are presented. Finally, new research ideas on gallic acid in the field of corrosion inhibition and protection of metals are summarized.

Gallic acid can be used as a corrosion inhibitor or coating in metal protection.

There is a lack of research on the synergistic improvement of gallic acid and other substances.

The specific application of gallic acid in the field of metal protection was summarized, and the future research focus was put forward.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper systematically expounds on the research progress of gallic acid in the field of metal protection for the first time and provides new ideas and directions for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to generate nitrogen-containing groups in the cotton fabric surface via low-temperature nitrogen plasma as an eco-friendly physical/zero-effluent process. This was done for rendering cotton dye-able with Acid Blue 284, which in fact does not have any direct affinity to fix on it.

Dyeing characteristics of the samples such as color strength (K/S), fastness properties to light, rubbing and perspiration and durability, as well as tensile strength, elongation at break, whiteness, weight loss and wettability in addition to zeta potential of the dyed samples, were determined and compared with untreated fabric. Confirmation and characterization of the plasma-treated samples via chemical modifications and zeta potential was also studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Malvern Zetasizer instrumental analysis.

The obtained results of the plasma-treated fabric reflect the following findings: FTIR results indicate the formation of nitrogen-containing groups on cotton fabrics; notable enhancement in the fabric wettability, zeta potential to more positive values and improvement in the dyeability and overall fastness properties of treated cotton fabrics in comparison with untreated fabric; the tensile strength, elongation at break, whiteness and weight % of the plasma treated fabrics are lower than that untreated one; and the durability of the plasma treated fabric decreased with increasing the number of washing cycles.

The novelty addressed here is rendering cotton fabrics dye-able with acid dye via the creation of new cationic nitrogen-containing groups on their surface via nitrogen plasma treatment as an eco-friendly and efficient tool with a physical/zero-effluent process.