This paper reports electrokinetic phenomena concerning the properties of textile fabrics that are crucial for dyeing and finishing processes. These interface phenomena influence the adsorption of surfactants, optical brighteners, dyes and finishing agents due to interaction forces between the fibre surface and solution. Zeta potential, isoelectric point, point of zero charge and the amount of surface charge of standard adjacent fabrics (cotton, wool, viscose rayon, polyamide, polyester and acrylic) have been determined. Electrokinetic potential was measured by a method involving streaming potential/current using an electrokinetic analyser. The specific amount of surface charge was calculated by a back‐titration method.

Smart textiles are fabrics able to sense external conditions or stimuli, to respond and adapt behaviour to them in an intelligent way and present a challenge in several fields today such as health, sport, automotive and aerospace. Electrically conductive textiles include conductive fibres, yarns, fabrics, and final products made from them. Often they are prerequisite to functioning smart textiles, and their quality determines durability, launderability, reusability and fibrous performances of smart textiles. Important part in smart textiles development has conductive polymers which are defined as organic polymers able to conduct electricity. They combine some of the mechanical features of plastics with the electrical properties typical for metals. The most attractive in a group of these polymers are polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) as one of the polythiophene (PTh) derivatives. Commercially available smart textile products where conductive polymers have crucial role for their development are medical textiles, protective clothing, touch screen displays, flexible fabric keyboards, and sensors for various areas. This paper is focused on conductive polymers description, mechanism of their conductivity, and various approaches to produce electrically conductive textiles for smart textiles needs. Commercial products of conductive polymers-based smart textiles are presented as well as the objective of a number of lab-scale items.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Mercerisation changes the fine structure, morphology and conformation of cotton cellulose chains (cellulose I to cellulose II), resulting in a variation in fibre strength and lustre as well as adsorption properties. Recently it has been shown that mercerisation also changes the electrokinetic behaviour of cotton. The aim of the work presented here is to study the behaviour in unmercerised and mercerised cotton. The zeta potential of cotton fibres was measured by the streaming current method, using an EKA electrokinetic analyser. The relationships between zeta potential and the pH of a potassium chloride solution on the one hand and the point of zero charge (PZC) on the other, determined by titration with a cationic surfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride), were investigated.

Activated natural zeolite clinoptilolite is microporous hydrated aluminosilicates crystals with well-defined structures containing AlO 4 and SiO 4 tetrahedral linked through the common oxygen atoms. It is to point out that zeolites act as strong adsorbents and ion-exchangers but having many other useful properties. Due to its cationexchange ability, zeolites have catalytic properties and, for that, multiple uses in medicine and industry, agriculture, water purification and detergents. Zeolites are nontoxic substance, excellent for UVR and microbes protection, for proteins and small molecules such as glucose adsorption. In this paper its positive effect on the metabolism of living organisms and its anticancerogenic, antiviral, antimetastatic and antioxidant effect. The activity of natural zeolite as natural immunostimulator was presented as well as its help in healing wounds. Therefore, the present paper is an attempt to modify cotton (by mercerization) and polyester (by alkaline hydrolysis) fabrics for summer clothing with addition of natural zeolite nanoparticles for achieving UV and antibacterial protective textiles.

Many metallic structural and non-structural parts used in the transportation industry can be replaced by textile-reinforced composites. Composites made from a polymeric matrix and fibrous reinforcement have been increasingly studied during the last decade. On the other hand, the fast development of smart textile structures seems to be a very promising solution for in situ structural health monitoring of composite parts. In order to optimize composites’ quality and their lifetime all the production steps have to be monitored in real time. Textile sensors embedded in the composite reinforcement and having the same mechanical properties as the yarns used to make the reinforcement exhibit actuating and sensing capabilities. This paper presents a new generation of textile fibrous sensors based on the conductive polymer complex poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) developed by an original roll to roll coating method. Conductive coating for yarn treatment was defined according to the preliminary study of percolation threshold of this polymer complex. The percolation threshold determination was based on conductive dry films’ electrical properties analysis, in order to develop highly sensitive sensors. A novel laboratory equipment was designed and produced for yarn coating to ensure effective and equally distributed coating of electroconductive polymer without distortion of textile properties. The electromechanical properties of the textile fibrous sensors confirmed their suitability for in situ structural damages detection of textile reinforced thermoplastic composites in real time.