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In this paper the aim is that Aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics were prepared, and the flame retardancy of the blended nonwoven fabrics was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, vertical flame test, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and cone calorimeter test.

The advantages of different fibers can be combined by blending, and the defects may be remedied. The study investigates whether incorporating alginate fibers into aramid fibers can enhance the flame retardancy and reduce the smoke production of prepared aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics.

Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that alginate fibers could effectively inhibit the combustion performance of aramid fibers at a higher temperature zone, leaving more residual chars for heat isolation. And vertical flame test, LOI and cone calorimeter test testified that the incorporation of alginate fibers improved the flame retardancy and fire behaviors. When the ratio of alginate fibers for aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics reached 80%, the incorporation of alginate fibers could notably decreased peak-heat release rate (54%), total heat release (THR) (29%), peak-smoke production rate (93%) and total smoke production (86%). What is more, the lower smoke production rate and lower THR of the blends vastly reduced the risk of secondary injury in fires.

This study proposes to inhibit the flue gas release of aramid fiber and enhance the flame retardant by mixing with alginate fiber, and proposes that alginate fiber can be used as a biological smoke inhibitor, as well as a flame retardant for aramid fiber.

During the construction process of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) I type filling layer, the nonwoven fabric bags have been used as grouting templates for cement asphalt (CA) emulsified mortar. The porous structure of nonwoven fabrics endowed the templates with breathability and water permeability. The standard requires that the volume expansion rate of CA mortar must be controlled within 1%–3%, which can generate expansion pressure to ensure that the cavities under track slabs are filled fully. However, the expansion pressure caused some of the water to seep out from the periphery of the filling bag, and it would affect the actual mix proportion of CA mortar. The differences in physical and mechanical properties between the CA mortar under track slabs and the CA mortar formed in the laboratory were studied in this paper. The relevant results could provide important methods for the research of filling layer materials for CRTS I type and other types of ballastless tracks in China.

During the inspection of filling layer, the samples of CA mortar from different working conditions and raw materials were taken by uncovering the track slabs and drilling cores. The physical and mechanical properties of CA mortar under the filling layer of the slab were systematically analyzed by testing the electrical flux, compressive strength and density of mortar in different parts of the filling layer.

In this paper, the electric flux, the physical properties and mechanical properties of different parts of CA mortar under the track slab were investigated. The results showed that the density, electric flux and compressive strength of CA mortar were affected by the composition of raw materials for dry powders and different parts of the filling layer. In addition, the electrical flux of CA mortar gradually decreased within 90 days’ age. The electrical flux of samples with the thickness of 54 mm was lower than 500 C. Therefore, the impermeability and durability of CA mortar could be improved by increasing the thickness of filling layer. Besides, the results showed that the compressive strength of CA mortar increased, while the density and electric flux decreased gradually, with the prolongation of hardening time.

During 90 days' age, the electrical flux of the CA mortar gradually decreased with the increase of specimen thickness and the electrical flux of the specimens with the thickness of 54 mm was lower than 500 C. The impermeability and durability of the CA mortar could be improved by increasing the thickness of filling layer. The proposed method can provide reference for the further development and improvement of CRTS I and CRTS II type ballastless track in China.

Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the only barrier between the firefighter and hazardous environment. Gloves are a crucial component of the multi-component PPE. Over time the gloves have reduced the intensity of hand injuries, yet further improvement in terms of material selection and glove design is required to strike the balance between protection and comfort. Focusing on the material aspect, the purpose of this study is to present literature analysis on material selection and testing for firefighter gloves.

The study conducted a literature analysis on material selection and characterization of firefighter PPE. The review summarizes and evaluates past work addressing the characterization of firefighter gloves in accordance with NFPA 1971 requirements and points out found research gaps to aid with foundation of future research.

The study summarizes several research works to inform readers about the material selection and characterization of firefighter gloves. Based on the analyzed literature, the study resulted in material specification sheets for firefighter gloves. The developed material specification sheets provide information in terms of crucial material properties to be incorporated for accurate functioning of firefighter gloves, testing methods to validate those material properties and materials from analyzed literature exhibiting desired properties.

With large research addressing firefighter PPE, only limited studies focus specifically on gloves. Thus, this study provides a literature analysis covering material selection and testing for gloves. A consolidated firefighter gloves material specification document, which does not appear to be available in the literature, will provide a foundation for the development and characterization of firefighter gloves to better serve the functions along with ensuring user comfort.

Ultrasonic welding is an emerging apparel manufacturing technique. However, the applications are widely explored in the field of technical textiles, with less exploration in the apparel endues. The purpose of this study is to explore the application of ultrasonic welding in apparel by analyzing the impacts of different parameters.

This study analyzed the influence of ultrasonic welding parameters, including pressure, welding speed and ultrasonic power on the seam performances (seam strength, seam bursting strength, seam thickness and seam stiffness). The parameters are optimized using Box–Behnken experimental design to achieve better seam performances.

The properties of ultrasonic seams are influenced by welding and fabric properties. Ultrasonically welded seams showed better performances in the case of comfort properties of seams, whereas the functional properties are lesser compared to conventional seams.

The findings of the research clearly outline the level of influence of different parameters on the performance of the ultrasonically welded seams in knitted fabrics, which can greatly help in applying ultrasonic welding manufacturing methods in apparel manufacturing.

Kapok was well-known for its oleophilic properties, but its mechanical properties and morphology impeded it from forming suitable absorbent materials. This study aims to demonstrate the process of creating an oil-absorbent web from a blend of treated kapok and polypropylene fibers.

Kapok fibers were separated from dried fruits, then the wax was removed with an HCl solution at different concentrations. The morphological and structural changes of these fibers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy images. The blending ratios of kapok and polypropylene fibers were 60/40, 70/30 and 80/20, respectively. The fiber blends were fed to a laboratory carding machine to form a web and then consolidated using the heat press technique. The absorption behavior of the formed web was evaluated regarding oil absorption capacity and oil retention capacity according to ASTM 726.

The results showed that the HCl concentration of 1.0% (wt%) gave the highest wax removal efficiency without damaging the kapok fibers. This study found that oil absorbency is influenced by the fiber blending ratio, web tensile strength and elongation, porosity, oil type and environmental conditions. The oil-absorbency of the web can be re-used for at least 20 cycles.

This study only looked at three types of oils: diesel, kerosene and vegetable oils.

When the problem of oil spills in rivers and seas is growing and causing serious environmental and economic consequences, using physical methods to recover oil spills is the most effective solution.

This research adds to the possibility of using kapok fiber in the form of a web of non-woven fabric for practical purposes.

The aim of this review is to present together the studies on textile-based moisture sensors developed using innovative technologies in recent years.

The integration levels of the sensors studied with the textile materials are changing. Some research teams have used a combination of printing and textile technologies to produce sensors, while a group of researchers have used traditional technologies such as weaving and embroidery. Others have taken advantage of new technologies such as electro-spinning, polymerization and other techniques. In this way, they tried to combine the good working efficiency of the sensors and the flexibility of the textile. All these approaches are presented in this article.

The presentation of the latest technologies used to develop textile sensors together will give researchers an idea about new studies that can be done on highly sensitive and efficient textile-based moisture sensor systems.

In this paper humidity sensors have been explained in terms of measuring principle as capacitive and resistive. Then, studies conducted in the last 20 years on the textile-based humidity sensors have been presented in detail. This is a comprehensive review study that presents the latest developments together in this area for researchers.

In the past decade, the biopolymeric properties of chitosan (CH) have been largely exploited for various applications. This paper aims to study the use of CH in its nanoform, i.e. as nanofibers blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for various antimicrobial applications in detail. In particular, their ability toward bacterial growth inhibition, in vitro drug release and their biocompatibility toward tissue growth have been investigated in detail.

Electrospinning technique was adapted for depositing CH/PVA blended nanofilms on the silver foil under optimized conditions of high voltage. Three different concentrations of blended nanofiber samples were prepared and their antimicrobial properties were studied.

The bead diameter and average diameter of blended nanofibers increase with CH concentration. Antibacterial activity increases as CH concentration increases. Increased hydrophilicity in CH-enriched samples contributes to a higher drug release profile.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, chick chorioallantoic membrane assay analysis has been carried out for the first time for CH/PVA films which shows that CH/PVA blends are biocompatible. CH after being converted as nanoparticles exhibits higher drug release rate by in vitro method.

This study aims to characterize the properties of natural cellulose fiber from the pseudo-stems of the curcuma zedoaria plant.

The fiber was extracted using the biological retting process (cold-water retting). The intrinsic fiber properties obtained were used to evaluate the possibility of using fiber for textile applications.

The average length of a curcuma zedoaria fiber was 34.77 cm with a fineness value of 6.72 Tex. A bundle of curcuma zedoaria fibers was comprised of many elementary fibers. Curcuma zedoaria had an irregular cross-section, with the lumen having a varied oval shape. Curcuma zedoaria fibers had tenacity and elongation value of 3.32 gf/denier and 6.95%, respectively. Curcuma zedoaria fibers had a coefficient of friction value of 0.46. Curcuma zedoaria fibers belong to a hygroscopic fiber type with a moisture regain value of 10.29%.

Extraction and Characterization of Curcuma zedoaria Pseudo-stems Fibers for Textile Application.

Breast cancer has become the largest cancer in the world today. Health problems for women with breast cancer need to be addressed urgently. This study aims to select the best method for preparing temperature-sensitive sports underwear, and to verify the feasibility of using K-type thermocouple threads in underwear fabrics.

In the experiments, two samples were designed for temperature-sensitive performance tests and the effects produced by different outer layer structures were investigated. In the second step, K-type thermocouple wires were integrated into sports underwear. The comfort and feasibility of the temperature-sensitive underwear were investigated.

It was finally verified to obtain the best comfort and temperature-sensing performance of K-type thermocouple filaments integrated into sports underwear with plain stitching.

The underwear has a certain prospect for the application of smart apparel based on breast cancer health monitoring, which is of some significance for monitoring smart apparel.

Personal Protective Equipment plays an inevitable part in the current scenario of pandemics in the world. A novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-Cov 2), began as an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, and quickly spread worldwide. It quickly escalated into an international public health crisis. This opened up the high demand for the innovation and research of new materials in the Personal Protective Equipment industry.

PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar were searched for relevant literature regarding personal protective equipment and the information was organized in a systematic way.

There are no adequate number of studies taken up in the field of use of textiles in medical applications especially with PPEs.

This structured review will generate a sense of the significance of using PPE for controlling pandemics and also awaken need for additional research and innovations in this area.

The authorities of the management should take timely intervention in choosing the right material for their PPE in their hospitals. Hence health care professionals teams have an inevitable role in preventing the adverse environmental impact due to the inadvertent disposal of PPEs.

There is a lack of systematic way of disposing contaminated single-use face masks in a safe, environmentally acceptable manner. The dumping of single-use PPE in domestic garbage has had an adverse effect on the environment. Mismanaged plastic waste endangers the health of ecosystems by polluting marine and terrestrial environments, posing a significant risk of ingestion or injury to animals and contaminating habitats.

This review article provides an in-depth review of the use of different materials in PPE and challenges regarding its long-term use and implications on the environment.