Due to the excessive use of water required for cotton cultivation, scientists in this field have been looking at waste biomass as an alternative source of fiber supply. Canola waste biomass is a source of textile fibers which effectively costs nothing, as the biomass can be collected from the waste plant stems of canola plants after harvesting. Therefore, an investigation has been conducted to identify the characteristics of canola fiber and of the canola cultivar ( Brassica napus L.) suitable for textile applications. In this research, a bio-inspired approach was applied to produce fiber from canola biomass by water retting of four different cultivars (HYHEAR 1, Topas, 5440, and 45H29) cultivated in a greenhouse under controlled atmospheric conditions. It was found that the structural hierarchy of fiber density, mechanical properties and other textile fiber properties of canola fiber differ from cultivar to cultivar, which can be carefully harnessed for different applications. Further, it was found that the density of canola fiber is much lower than that of cotton and other competitive bast fibers, owing to its hollow structure, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The results suggest that canola may be an excellent choice for manufacturing of non-woven fabrics, eco-composites, apparel or other technical textiles.
The digitization of textiles (textronics) has created new opportunities for integration with conformable sensors to enable unobtrusive, noninvasive, and continuous decoding of vital body signals. This article provides an in‐depth review of the materials and fabrication methodologies used for textronic sensors per their form‐factor in the textile manufacturing process chain—fiber, yarn, fabric, and apparel. Next, it analyzes the performance characterization techniques currently used for these sensors and highlights the needs for standardized test methods in the following aspects: biocompatibility, thermal and tactile comfort, aging, and operation of the biomedical sensing modality at standard human stretch. It also identifies the significance of pretreatment and conditioning reporting of the textile form‐factors based on their impact on mechanical and electric performance of the textronic sensor. The study concludes by recommending a universal testing roadmap for textronic sensors which is expected to veritably complement the work of different standardization committees, including CEN TC‐248/WG‐31, IEC TC‐124, ASTM D13.50, and AATCC RA111.
Natural lignocellulosic fibres (NLF) extracted from different industrial crops (like cotton, hemp, flax, and canola) have taken a growing share of the overall global use of natural fibres required for manufacturing consumer apparels and textile substrate. The attributes of these constituent NLF determine the end product (textiles) performance and function. Structural and microscopic studies have highlighted the key behaviors of these NLF and understanding these behaviors is essential to regulate their industrial production, engineering applications, and harness their benefits. Breakthrough scientific successes have demonstrated textile fibre properties and significantly different mechanical and structural behavioral patterns related to different cultivars of NLF, but a broader agenda is needed to study these behaviors. Influence of key fibre attributes of NLF and properties of different cultivars on the performance of textiles are defined in this review. A likelihood analysis using scattergram and Pearson’s correlation followed by a two-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) to single-out key properties explain the variations and investigate the probabilities of any cluster of similar fibre profiles. Finally, a Weibull distribution determined probabilistic breaking tenacities of different fibres after statistical analysis of more than 60 (N > 60) cultivars of cotton, canola, flax, and hemp fibres.
Ultrasound is widely used for tissue imaging such as breast cancer diagnosis; however, fundamental challenges limit its integration with wearable technologies, namely, imaging over large-area curvilinear organs. We introduced a wearable, conformable ultrasound breast patch (cUSBr-Patch) that enables standardized and reproducible image acquisition over the entire breast with less reliance on operator training and applied transducer compression. A nature-inspired honeycomb-shaped patch combined with a phased array is guided by an easy-to-operate tracker that provides for large-area, deep scanning, and multiangle breast imaging capability. The in vitro studies and clinical trials reveal that the array using a piezoelectric crystal [Yb/Bi-Pb(In
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Test methods for smart or electronic textiles (e-textiles) are critical to ensure product safety and industrial quality control. This paper starts with a review of three key aspects: (i) commercial e-textile products/technologies, (ii) safety and quality control issues observed or foreseen, and (iii) relevant standards published or in preparation worldwide. A total of twenty-two standards on smart textiles – by CEN TC 248/WG 31, IEC TC 124, ASTM D13.50, and AATCC RA111 technical committees – were identified; they cover five categories of e-textile applications: electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical, and physical environment. Based on the number of e-textile products currently commercially available and issues in terms of safety, efficiency, and durability, there is a critical need for test methods for thermal applications, as well as to a lesser degree, for energy harvesting and chemical and biological applications. The results of this study can be used as a roadmap for the development of new standardized test methods for safety & quality control of smart textiles.
Linum Usitatissimum L. is mostly known as flax usually cultivated to consume the fibre demand for apparel and edible oil production. However, recent development and research work have made the diversification of flax polymers to be a part of a growing trend to fabricate biodegradable composites. Although, flax is traditionally grown for its natural plant oil seeds, but it also carries the prospects to be applied in bio-composites either in form of reinforcements or as polymer matrix. Since flax is a biodegradable polymer, the use of flax in composite reinforcement can introduce the concept of green composite that may contribute in lowering the carbon footprint around the globe. The inherent composite characteristics of flax fiber provide outstanding mechanical properties. Further, the technology for producing bio-based resin from flax oil for industrial application has added additional value offering significant opportunities for new and improved materials from renewable resources. This review intends to discuss few of the key points that summarize the promising features of flax in fabricating biodegradable composites. VARTM is one of the significant manufacturing methods of flax reinforced composites using non-woven flax mat where flax mat is usually formed by web formation method through air or wet lying technique. Flax fibre properties, effect of manufacturing parameters like needle punch density, mat areal density and consolidation pressure while manufacturing composites play an important role on the strength and modulus of flax reinforced composites.
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