Sort:
Open Access Review Issue
Progress on fiber engineering for fabric innovation in ecological hydrophobic design and multifunctional applications
Industrial Chemistry & Materials 2024, 2(3): 393-423
Published: 11 July 2024
Abstract PDF (11 MB) Collect
Downloads:3

The application of fluorinated coatings on textiles has garnered substantial research interest over the past years, owing to their ability to endow fabrics with exceptional hydrophobic characteristics, thereby mitigating issues associated with high moisture absorption and susceptibility to contamination. Nevertheless, the deployment of fluorinated substances has been proscribed due to concerns regarding their ecological impact and potential human toxicity. Consequently, there has been a burgeoning demand for hydrophobic textile alternatives derived from non-fluorinated, natural materials that are both sustainable and environmentally benign. This paper presents a thorough overview of the advancements in the development and functionalization of eco-friendly, hydrophobic textiles. Initially, the natural materials and their derivatives utilized in the creation of superhydrophobic textiles are delineated, including cellulose, lignin and chitosan, among others. Subsequently, methodologies for crafting efficient, stable, and resilient hydrophobic textiles are elucidated, encompassing conventional techniques as well as novel, inventive concepts. Furthermore, the current state of research and the obstacles faced in the evolution of multifunctional textiles based on superhydrophobic fabrics are examined. In conclusion, this discussion presents incisive insights into the impending direction of advancements in functional textiles.

Research Article Issue
Flexible electrochromic fiber with rapid color switching and high optical modulation
Nano Research 2023, 16(4): 5473-5479
Published: 23 August 2021
Abstract PDF (5.3 MB) Collect
Downloads:42

Though flexible electrochromic devices have shown huge potential application in the fields of safety warning, display and smart windows, limited attention was paid on preparing flexible electrochromic fiber because of the difficulty in fabricating the multilayer electrochromic device structure in one-dimensional form. In this study, a flexible electrochromic nylon fiber based on Ag nanowires (NWs)/PEDOT:PSS/WO3 nanoparticles (NPs) (PEDOT:PSS = poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonic acid) is successfully fabricated, delivering rapid color switching (2.5 and 9 s for bleaching and coloration) and high optical modulation (65.5% at 633 nm), and sustainable to repeated mechanical deformations. Ag NWs, PEDOT:PSS and WO3 NPs were dip-coated on the nylon fiber, resulting in an electrochromic fiber electrode with stable fiber resistance of 50–100 Ω/10 cm, which can withstand mechanical deformation against 300 times of bending cycles with bending radius of 0.5 cm, and sustain 30 times of tape-peeling. During the galvanostatic tests, the capacitance of the electrochromic electrode can maintain 70% of the initial value even after 5,000 times of charge–discharge cycles. Even in knotted shape, the fiber still shows excellent color contrast. This study provides a novel method to construct flexible electrochromic fiber and pave the way for the development of flexible optoelectronic devices, such as flexible and wearable displays.

Total 2