Fabrication and Performance of a Silver Nanowire Silk Conductive Fabric.

In this work, silk was selected as the substrate, and formic acid was utilized to create a rough texture on the silk. The conductive fabrics made from AgNWs and silk were created by applying multiple layers of silver nanowire dispersion onto the textured silk fabrics (SFs). The silk was immersed in a dispersion containing polydopamine (PDA), sericin (SE), tannic acid (TA), and silver nanowire under specific temperature conditions. After being cured at 120 °C, the three silver nanowire/silk fabrics (AgNWs/SFs), PDA/AgNWs/SF, SE/AgNWs/SF, and TA/AgNWs/SF, exhibited square resistances of 7.37, 540, and 200 Ω/sq, respectively. The method used to prepare the AgNW conductive SF is straightforward, resulting in fabrics that possess excellent thermal stability and resistance to washing. These fabrics also exhibit a range of useful properties, including conductivity, electrothermal capabilities, electrochemical functionality, human body sensing, hydrophobicity, and antimicrobial properties. These characteristics make them highly promising for various applications, such as human body motion detection, electronic textiles, electrothermal textiles, and antimicrobial applications.

Preparation of Flower-like Nanosilver Based on Bioderived Caffeic Acid for Raman Enhancement and Dye Degradation.

In this study, a simple, green, and low-cost room temperature synthesis of broccoli-like silver nanoflowers (AgNF) with a particle size of about 300-500 nm was developed using plant-derived caffeic acid as a reducing agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone as a dispersant under ultrasound assistance. The flower clusters covered by small nanocrystals of 20-50 nm significantly enhance the electromagnetic field signals. AgNF was deposited on the surface of silicon wafers as a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor for the detection of probe molecules such as rhodamine 6G (R6G) and malachite green with high sensitivity, homogeneity, and reproducibility. AgNF was deposited on cotton fabrics in the form of composites to catalyze the degradation of dye pollutants such as R6G, MG, and methyl orange in the presence of sodium borohydride. 0.1 g of AgNF/cotton fabric could assist 15 mmol/L NaBH4 to achieve over 90% degradation of various dyes as well as a high concentration of dyes in 12 min with good reusability and recyclability. The AgNF synthesized in this work can not only monitor the type and amounts of pollutants (dyes) in wastewater but also catalyze the rapid degradation of dyes, which is expected to be valuable for industrial applications.

Performance of Washing-Free Printing of Disperse Dye Inks: Influence of Water-Borne Polymers.

Dye-containing wastewater discharge from the textile industry poses a serious pollution hazard that can be overcome by eliminating the washing step following the dyeing process. To study the washing-free printing of disperse dye ink, a number of water-borne polymers were selected and added to the ink, and the properties of the inks were discussed. By optimizing the ink formulation, printed fabrics with high color strength and color fastness were produced. The effects of the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the ink jetting performance and printing performance were intensively investigated. The migration-diffusion-fixation behavior of disperse dyes in inks on the polyester fiber was explored. The disperse dye ink with 0.075 wt.% PVA exhibited the strongest migration-diffusion effect. The PVA ink exhibited excellent jetting performance and printing color fastness, and the printing color strength was better than that of the PVP and PEG ink. The addition of PVA increased the difference between the solubility parameter of the disperse dyes and ink system, which improved the migration of disperse dyes from the ink system to the polyester fabric. Meanwhile, PVA could form a protective layer on printed fabrics because of its excellent film-forming properties at room temperature. The washing-free inkjet printing method developed in this study provides a theoretical basis for screening water-borne polymers and an environmentally friendly pathway for the printing of textiles.

The stability of disperse red/reactive-red dye inks.

CI disperse red 896 was used as a representative disperse red dye to investigate the stability of inkjet printing colour paste. Various additives were added to the dye in different mass fractions to study the thermal stability and freeze-thaw stability of the ink in terms of average particle size, viscosity, and surface tension. The centrifugal stability of the colour paste and ink was characterised by their specific absorbance. When grinding the colour paste, use of a defoamer can improve the grinding efficiency, without affecting the stability of the paste. The most stable ink prepared from the colour paste contained 20-35 wt% paste. Ethylene glycol and glycerol were combined and their amounts controlled respectively at 6-14 wt%. The triethanolamine content was <1 wt% when the fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether content was 0.2 wt%. The sodium dodecyl sulphate content should be less than 0.15 wt%, and that of polyvinylpyrrolidone-K30 should be <0.7 wt%.