A preliminary study on the preparation of seamless tubular bacterial cellulose-electrospun nanofibers-based nanocomposite fabrics

Abstract

Due to various production stages involved, textiles and clothing industry is known for causing carbon dioxide emissions, water pollution, soil erosion and huge waste generation. It is a need of the hour to seek for natural, renewable, and bio-degradable fabrication materials and environmentally friendly production methods. This study proposes an eco-friendly approach to prepare bacterial cellulose/electrospun nanofibers membrane-based hybrid non-woven fabrics using in-situ self-assembly method. This fabrication method enables bacterial cellulose cultivation on nanofibrous membrane support to create custom-made seamless tubular hybrid fabrics in desirable dimensions, to be used for various textile applications with minimized material wastage. As-prepared nano-composite fabric was characterized using SEM, X-ray diffraction, and FTIR. FTIR and X-ray diffraction results confirmed the presence of bacterial cellulose in the composite structure. SEM analysis showed as the bacterial cellulose cultivates, its nanofibrils penetrate and grow into empty voids of membrane's structure, which results in secure binding and interlocking of electrospun nonofibers. Sample thickness and weight gain measurements after the modification were found to be approx. 33.90% and 39.02%, respectively. Reduced surface hydrophobicity, water uptake, and increased tensile strength might contribute towards better fabric performance and comfort. Overall, this study suggests an eco-friendly approach to prepare nano-composite fabrics that might be used for bio-textiles and related applications.

The production and characterization of microbial cellulose–electrospun membrane hybrid nano-fabrics

“…A horizontal bioreactor reported in a previous study [30] was used after few modifications, to produce hybrid nano-fabric. Figure 1(a) shows the schematic illustration of the bioreactor which consists of a rectangular container (inner dimensions: L × W × H: 24 cm × 12 cm × 18 cm) made by transparent acrylic sheets.…”

“…Based on the previous studies [2,27,30], the pure ENM was positioned approx. 2 mm below the growth medium’s surface throughout the fermentation period by means of a fluid injection system (I), which can periodically feed the nutrients as needed.…”

Application of Bacterial Cellulose in the Textile and Shoe Industry: Development of Biocomposites

“…A method to produce BC/ENM (regenerated cellulose electrospun nanofibrous membrane) hybrid fabrics with targeted dimensions was developed through in situ self-assembly, by adding a polypropylene mesh template to the fermentation medium. The growth of BC nanofibers into the empty voids of the mesh improved the fabric performance by decreasing the surface hydrophobicity and water uptake, while increasing the tensile strength of the composite [27].…”

Sustainable Use of Nanomaterials in Textiles and Their Environmental Impact

“…For the fabrication of nanofibers, different techniques are used, like electrospinning ( Figure 2 ), self-assembly, force spinning, melt blowing, and island-in-sea (bicomponent nanofiber) (Almetwally et al, 2017, [ 69 ]), (Nayak et al, 2019, [ 70 ]), (Naeem et al, 2019, [ 71 ]). Out of these techniques, the electrospinning is considered the most convenient one due to its low cost, higher rate of production, higher porosity, and ability to control nanofiber morphology and diameter.…”