Objective Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber membranes are widely used in non-polar solvent filtration due to their excellent chemical inertness, superhydrophobicity, and broad resistance to solvent corrosion, including various strong polar solvents over extended periods. However, due to the weak intermolecular forces between PTFE chains, these membranes are prone to molecular chain slip under dynamic pressure or continuous solvent immersion conditions. This results in membrane creep, swelling, and structural deformation, ultimately leading to a gradual decline in filtration precision and a shortened service life. This limitation severely restricts the application of PTFE membranes in precision filtration scenarios that require long-term stable operation. To address the insufficient solvent swelling resistance of PTFE fiber membranes in non-polar solvent environments, a strategy of modifying PTFE fiber membranes with thermoplastic fluoropolymer polyperfluoroethylene propylene (FEP), which possesses thermoplastic properties, is proposed to enhance their stability and filtration performance.

Method The study uses PTFE fiber membranes pre-impregnated with FEP emulsion as a supporting matrix. An FEP micro-nanofiber membrane is further prepared on the surface of the PTFE fiber membrane using electrostatic centrifugal spinning technology. This results in a PTFE/FEP composite membrane with a more developed porosity and ultrafiltration characteristics. The preparation strategy of the PTFE/FEP composite membrane is analyzed, the FEP fiber membrane fabrication process is optimized, and the interface bonding strength, solvent swelling resistance, separation performance, and reuse properties of the PTFE/FEP composite membrane are investigated.

Results Introducing FEP significantly improves the solvent swelling resistance of pure PTFE fiber membranes. Under the optimal preparation process parameters, the FEP fibers formed by electrostatic centrifugal spinning are stacked layer by layer and combined with the supporting matrix. High-temperature sintering ensures chemical bonding between the fiber layers and the base membrane, as well as pore size refinement, with the average pore size reduced from 267 nm to 87.9 nm, reaching ultrafiltration-level pore dimensions. This structure maintains a porosity of 67.7% while forming a dense screening network that effectively inhibits swelling deformation caused by solvent penetration. The PTFE/FEP composite membrane showed no observable changes in its morphology after 7 days of swelling testing in n-hexane. The porosity and solvent flux variation rates were 1.63% and 3.37%, respectively. After five cycles of ultrasonic cleaning, the average mass loss rate was only 0.48%, and the tensile strength variation rate was only 0.76%, demonstrating excellent bonding strength and interface compatibility. The PTFE/FEP composite membrane exhibited a retention rate of 99.49% for 127 nm SiO₂ contaminants, with only minor variations in the retention rate of microspheres over seven days in four non-polar solvent environments, all remaining above 98%, confirming its excellent solvent resistance and filtration performance. After five cycles of solvent-emulsion circulation, the solvent flux of the PTFE/FEP ultrafiltration membrane showed a slight decrease, but its Flux Recovery Rate (FRR) was 95.36%, and the SiO₂ contaminant retention rate remained as high as 99.26%, demonstrating good reusability.

Conclusion In non-polar solvent separation applications, PTFE fiber membranes are prone to swelling due to the weak intermolecular forces between the molecular chains in their fibril network, which leads to performance degradation. This study proposes a strategy of optimizing membrane structure through electrostatic centrifugal spinning and sintering technology, aiming to maintain the solvent swelling resistance of the PTFE base membrane while enhancing its porosity. The successful development of a PTFE/FEP composite membrane with a more developed porosity and ultrafiltration characteristics, which is resistant to solvent swelling in non-polar solvents, provides a new approach to addressing the swelling and precision degradation problems of PTFE membranes in non-polar solvents. This research offers strategic support for the development of high-performance PTFE separation membranes for solvent separation and purification.

Objective Polyimide fiber is a high-performance material characterized by its highly regular molecular chain structure. These structural features impart superior properties, enabling broad applications in multiple industries, including aerospace, military, transportation sectors, sports equipment, and special protective clothing. However, polyimide exhibits a smooth surface and lacks active functional groups along its macromolecular chains, which imposes certain limitations for practical applications. Consequently, modifying polyimide fibers can significantly expand their potential applications. Conventional fiber modification methods often affect fiber performance and may raise environmental concerns. Growing sustainability demands have driven research toward more environmentally friendly and cleaner production technologies.

Method Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) fluid combines liquid-like density with gas-like transport properties, exhibiting exceptional mass transfer characteristics and penetration capacity that enable effective fiber modification. Polyimide fibers were initially washed to remove surface contaminants, and the purified fibers were loaded into a high-pressure autoclave reactor. The system was heated to 40 ℃ and pressurized with CO₂ to pressures of 8-12 MPa. The treatment was maintained for 60 min. The changes of fiber structure and properties before and after treatment were analyzed through various characterization methods including mechanical property testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Results The surface roughness (R_a) of the original fiber is 5.29 nm. When the pressure was under 10 MPa, the surface of the fibers was similar to and even smoother than the original fibers. The R_a of the fibers was reduced to 3.35 nm at 8 MPa. When the pressure increased above 10 MPa, uniformly and continuously distributed tiny concave structures appeared, and the R_a was improved to 6.72 nm. It was found that scCO₂ had no effect on the chemical structure of the fibers, indicating that no molecular-level structural changes occurred in the fibers, thereby ensuring the structural stability and good performance of the modified fibers. Also, scCO₂ showed no significant effect on the mechanical properties of fibers, suggesting that the modification effect of scCO₂ on fibers was mainly on the surface layer of the fibers but not the interior of the fibers. After scCO₂ treatment, the mass losses within the range of 200-500 ℃ were significantly reduced. The scCO₂ fluid has excellent diffusion and mass transfer effects, which can remove the residual solvents or small molecular substances inside the fibers. In addition, the residual carbon content of the treated fibers slightly increased, which also indicated that the fiber structure was more stable, confirming that the supercritical fluid was beneficial to the improvement of the fiber microstructure. The orientation of fibers was analyzed separately in both radial and axial directions. The results revealed relatively low structural ordering in the radial direction. In contrast, well-aligned crystalline structures with high orientation indices were observed along the axial direction, which accounts for the fibers' superior mechanical properties. Meanwhile, when the processing pressure exceeded 10 MPa, the diffraction peaks shifted to a lower angle, indicating an increase in the crystal plane spacing. Finally, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) value between the fibers and the epoxy resin before and after scCO₂treatment was investigated. Due to the smooth surface of the original polyimide fibers, the average IFSS was 33.98 MPa. When the pressure was less than 10 MPa, due to the reduction of the surface roughness of the fibers, the average IFSS value decreased. When the pressure was higher than 10 MPa, the average IFSS value increased significantly, with the maximum increase reaching 78.2%.

Conclusion scCO₂ treatment does not change the chemical structure of the fibers but can improve the surface properties of fibers. When the pressure is low, the surface of the fibers becomes smooth and the roughness decreases from 5.29 nm to 3.35 nm. When the pressure exceeds 10 MPa, the surface roughness of the fibers increases to 6.72 nm. The slight changes in the surface structure do not significantly affect the mechanical properties or thermal stability of the fibers, but the interfacial properties between fibers and resins have been significantly improved. After scCO₂ treatment, the interfacial shear strength between fibers and resins has increased by a maximum of 78.2%. scCO₂ fluid leads to the expansion of the internal lattice of the fibers or the formation of new crystalline structures. These results provide a theoretical basis for the future application of supercritical fluid modification technology in polyimide fibers.

Objective Current temperature-sensing fibers often suffer from insufficient responsiveness to temperature fluctuations, poor mechanical durability, and inadequate structural stability in practical wearable scenarios. Notably, bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) possesses a high thermoelectric coefficient, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer excellent electrical conductivity and prominent mechanical reinforcement effects, while polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) features superior flexible fiber-forming capabilities. The composite integration of these three components is expected to achieve synergistic performance complementarity. Therefore, Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers were fabricated to meet the urgent demand for wearable temperature sensors with high sensitivity, reliable flexibility, and robust stability.

Method Bi₂S₃ nanorods were synthesised hydrothermally, and then different masses of Bi₂S₃ and CNT were added at mass ratios of 1∶1, 2∶1, 3∶1, 4∶1 and 8∶1 into a mixture containing 6.36% CNT, 11% PVDF and a 2∶1(V/V) acetone/DMF solution. The mixture was wet-spun at room temperature and 65% RH into a coagulation bath, washed and dried to obtain continuous fibers. The optimal ratio of 15.2% Bi₂S₃/6.36% CNT was identified by varying the Bi₂S₃ content from 5.0% to 32.4%.

Results The performance of Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers varied non-monotonically with Bi₂S₃ content. SEM images showed that the 5.0% Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers exhibited smooth surfaces and uniformly dispersed particles. When Bi₂S₃ content was increased to 10.7% and 15.2%, the composite fibers exhibited local agglomeration that roughened the surface. However, enhanced CNT-Bi₂S₃ interfacial contact was achieved, the three-dimensional scaffold remained intact, and an alternating "semiconductor node-metal highway" structure was formed. When Bi₂S₃ content was further increased to the range of 18.4%-32.4%, agglomeration intensified, producing structural fractures and uneven component distribution that destroy the integrity of the composite fibers. DSC confirmed that Bi₂S₃ did not shift the PVDF melting peak, guaranteeing thermal stability. I-U curves and resistance statistics consistently indicated that the resistance of the composite fibers first decreased and then increased with rising Bi₂S₃ content, reaching a minimum of 51.16 kΩ in the 15.2% Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers, where conductivity was highest. This was attributed to optimized percolation; excess doping introduced lattice defects and carrier saturation, reducing conductivity. Temperature-sensing tests confirmed that the 15.2% Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers exhibited excellent temperature sensitivity in the range of 25-60 ℃, with a negative temperature coefficient of resistance. For composite fibers with a Bi₂S₃ mass fraction below 15.2%, CNTs enhanced carrier transport by constructing a three-dimensional conductive network. As a narrow band-gap n-type semiconductor, Bi₂S₃ showed an exponential increase in intrinsic carrier concentration with increasing temperature, which reduced the resistance at the junctions of Bi₂S₃ nanorods. The CNT network promptly transmitted the local junction resistance changes to the entire fiber, resulting in synchronous current variations. In contrast, composite fibers with a Bi₂S₃ mass fraction above 15.2% underwent phase separation induced by the plasticizing effect of the PVDF matrix. This phase separation disrupted the conductive pathways, leading to unstable temperature responses. Additionally, the temperature sensor device fabricated by sewing Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF temperature-sensing fibers onto elastic fabric in an S-shape did not rupture even under 75% stretching, and exhibited excellent stretch-resistant sensing performance. Consequently, the 15.2% Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers achieved an optimal balance between sensing performance and structural stability, providing a reliable material platform for high-performance wearable temperature sensors.

Conclusion Through wet-spinning, Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF ternary composite temperature-sensing fibers were successfully prepared. The 15.2% Bi₂S₃/CNT/PVDF composite fibers demonstrate exceptional overall performance. The three-dimensional conductive network built by CNTs and the narrow-bandgap semiconducting nature of Bi₂S₃ act synergistically, effectively overcoming the traditional trade-off between sensitivity and mechanical flexibility in flexible temperature sensors. Benefiting from their excellent temperature response, good flexibility and textile-process compatibility, these fiber sensors show broad prospects in smart medical monitoring, adaptive thermal-control garments and flexible electronic devices, offering a new material system and design concept for next-generation high-performance wearable temperature-sensing platforms.

Objective To fulfil China's strategic goal of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality", the development of green energy has become an inevitable direction. As a renewable clean energy, green hydrogen has attracted extensive attention. Electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the most effective strategies for green hydrogen production. However, the reported hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts suffer from bottlenecks such as slow kinetics and poor stability in acid/alkali electrolytes. This work reports a flexible inorganic micro-nano fiber membrane electrode with high catalytic activity and stability for both HER and OER.

Method A flexible CoTiO₃/ZrO₂-TiO₂ ceramic nanofiber membrane was prepared by electrospinning technique and high-temperature calcination. Then, Ru metal atoms and carbon nanotubes were in-situ anchored on the ceramic nanofibers via impregnation adsorption and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), forming CoRu/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF. The influence mechanisms of Co and Ru metal loadings on the morphology, micro-nano structure, and HER/OER catalytic performance of the flexible fiber membrane electrode were investigated.

Results It was found through experiments that all fiber membranes exhibited a three-dimensional network structure with randomly interwoven fibers. The CoTiO₃/ZrO₂-TiO₂ consisted of TiO₂, ZrO₂, and CoTiO₃, with uniform diameters and rough textures on the surface. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area was 7.59 m²/g. Due to poor conductivity and lack of catalytic active sites, the HER and OER performances were relatively poor. Co/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF and Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF both consisted of Ti₃O₅, ZrO₂, CoO, and Co. The morphology was similar, with carbon nanotubes densely distributed on the surface. TEM showed that the surface carbon nanotubes of Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF were uniform and dense, with Co metal nanoparticles wrapped at the top, proving that Co catalyzed their formation as active sites during high-temperature carbonization. HRTEM confirmed the presence of Ti₃O₅ (lattice spacing 0.223 nm corresponding to (121) face), ZrO₂ (lattice spacing 0.209 nm corresponding to (012) face), and Co (lattice spacing 0.204 nm corresponding to (111) face) crystal structures in Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF. Elemental distribution showed that C, N, Co, and Ru were evenly distributed throughout the entire fiber, while O, Ti, and Zr were mainly within the internal ceramic nanofibers. Moreover, a certain thickness of carbon fiber layer formed on the surface of ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅ ceramic nanofibers in addition to the carbon nanotubes. For CoRu/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF with Co∶Ti molar ratios of 0∶1, 0.05∶1, 0.1∶1, 0.15∶1, 0.2∶1, and 0.25∶1, Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF had uniform diameters, smooth surfaces, and no carbon nanotubes. As Co was introduced with increasing loading, the number and length of carbon nanotubes were gradually increased. Raman analysis showed that an increase in Co content led to an increase in I_D:I_Gvalues and an increase in carbon defects. In BET testing, the specific surface area of Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF was 42.89 m²/g, significantly higher than that of CoTiO₃/ZrO₂-TiO₂. At a current density of 10 mA/cm², Co_0.2/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF had an HER overpotential of 126 mV and an OER potential of 1.557 V, showing a significant improvement in performance compared to CoTiO₃/ZrO₂-TiO₂. The HER and OER overpotentials of the fiber catalyst decreased first and then increased with the increase in Co loading, while the Tafel slope fell first and then rose. The Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF had the smallest overpotential and Tafel slope. In a two-electrode system with it as a self-supported catalyst and 1.0 M KOH as the electrolyte for electrocatalytic water splitting testing, only a low voltage of 1.64 V was required to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm².

Conclusion The synergistic effect of Co-Ru bimetallic sites can effectively enhance the HER and OER bifunctional catalytic performance of CoRu/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF. In 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte, the flexible self-supporting Co_0.2Ru/ZrO₂-Ti₃O₅/CF fiber membrane electrode exhibits a high HER and OER catalytic performance: when the current density is 10 mA/cm², the overpotential is 103 mV for HER, the OER potential is 1.531 V, and the slope of Tafel is 94 mV/dec, which is superior to the noble metal RuO₂ catalyst. This research can provide new ideas for the preparation of self-supporting electrocatalysts for water splitting.

Objective Polyamide 66 (PA66) fiber is widely used in textiles, automotive, and electronics due to its excellent mechanical properties and heat resistance, but with insufficient flame retardancy. Although traditional flame retardants can improve the flame retardancy of PA66, a high loading amount often deteriorates the spinnability of PA66 and significantly reduces the mechanical properties of the fiber. Carbon dots (CDs), as a typical organic-inorganic hybrid zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterial, are expected to enhance the flame retardancy of PA66 while improving its spinnability and strengthening the mechanical properties of PA66 fiber. Specifically, heteroatoms (e.g., N, O, P) in CDs scavenge combustion free radicals to terminate chain reactions, while their carbon-rich core promotes dense char layer formation, blocking heat and oxygen transfer for efficient flame retardancy at low addition levels. Moreover, CDs’ nanoscale size and surface functional groups form hydrogen bonds with PA66 molecular chains, ensuring homogeneous dispersion to maintain melt fluidity and spinnability, and constructing strong interfacial interactions to transfer stress and restrict molecular chain slippage, thus reinforcing mechanical properties.

Method Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste was used as a precursor to achieve large-scale preparation of PET waste-based carbon dots (rPET-CDs) via a solvent-free one-step pyrolysis method. Specifically, 1 500 g of PET bottle flakes and 975 mL of ethanolamine were added to a 5 L high-pressure quick-release reaction kettle. The reaction was carried out at 260 ℃ for 56 h, followed by cooling to approximately 80 ℃ and dispersion with ethanol. Subsequently, the mixture was filtered to remove larger particles (>220 nm), and ethanol was recovered. Finally, the product was vacuum-dried and pulverized to obtain rPET-CDs powder, with a yield of 1 796 g.

Results The prepared rPET-CDs exhibited a spherical structure with an average particle size of 2.07 nm and surface functional groups such as —OH and —NH₂, demonstrating good thermal stability. Using rPET-CDs as a flame retardant, flame-retardant PA66 composites (PA66/rPET-CDs) were prepared via melt blending. The addition of rPET-CDs improved the flame retardancy of PA66. When the loading amount of rPET-CDs was 3%, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the PA66/rPET-CDs composite reached 29%, and the peak heat release rate (pHRR) decreased by 10.64%. Flame retardancy mechanism studies revealed that the incorporation of rPET-CDs into PA66 reduced the pore size of the char residue after combustion and made the char layer more continuous, demonstrating a certain solid-phase flame retardant effect. SEM images showed that the char layer of pure PA66 contained numerous interconnected pores, whereas when the loading amount of rPET-CDs increased to 3%, the pores in the char layer significantly decreased, and the structure became denser, exhibiting superior thermal-oxygen shielding properties. This effectively inhibited the diffusion of heat and flammable gases, thereby enhancing the flame retardancy of the material. The addition of rPET-CDs reduced the spinning temperature of PA66 from 285 ℃ to 270 ℃. This is likely because the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of rPET-CDs formed hydrogen bonds with PA66 molecular chains, reducing the hydrogen bonding interactions between PA66 molecular chains. This decreased the apparent viscosity of the melt, lowered the spinning temperature, and moved it away from the thermal degradation-sensitive region, thereby mitigating thermal degradation and gelation during spinning and improving the stability of PA66 spinning. In terms of mechanical properties, the addition of rPET-CDs synergistically enhanced the tensile strength and elongation at break of PA66 fibers, which may be attributed to the abundant —OH/—NH₂ groups on the surface of rPET-CDs. The functional groups on the surface of rPET-CDs formed hydrogen bonds with the amide bonds of PA66 molecular chains, creating cross-linking points between the molecular chains and enhancing the mechanical properties of the fiber. Additionally, rPET-CDs acted as a plasticizer in PA66, increasing the elongation at break of PA66 fibers. The reduction in spinning temperature further corroborates the plasticizing effect of rPET-CDs in PA66.

Conclusion The addition of rPET-CDs improved the flame retardancy of PA66. Flame retardancy mechanism studies indicated that the incorporation of rPET-CDs into PA66 reduced the pore size of the char residue and made the char layer more continuous, contributing to a solid-phase flame retardant effect. However, the decreased densification degree of the char residue limited the improvement in flame retardancy. Furthermore, the addition of rPET-CDs significantly enhanced the spinnability and mechanical properties of PA66. The spinning temperature was reduced from 285 ℃ to 270 ℃, which helped mitigate thermal degradation and gelation, thereby improving the stability of PA66 spinning. Mechanically, the addition of rPET-CDs synergistically increased the tensile strength and elongation at break of PA66 fibers, likely due to the abundant —OH/—NH₂ groups on the surface of rPET-CDs. These functional groups formed hydrogen bonds with the amide bonds of PA66 molecular chains, creating cross-linking points and enhancing the mechanical properties of the fiber. Additionally, rPET-CDs acted as a plasticizer, increasing the elongation at break of PA66 fibers.

Objective Viscose fiber is widely utilized in textiles owing to its excellent moisture absorption and comfort properties. However, its high flammability seriously restricts its application in fields with stringent fire safety requirements, such as military and firefighting protective clothing. Hence, the development of flame-retardant viscose fibers is of significant practical importance. The objective of this work is to synthesize a flame retardant that not only complies with the requirements of the viscose spinning process but also endows the fibers with high flame retardancy while preserving their other essential properties.

Method In this work, an aniline-containing polyphosphamide flame retardant was synthesized via polycondensation of phosphorus oxychloride, piperazine, and aniline. The molecular design incorporated phosphamide group to enhance the stability against hydrolysis. The aniline was introduced to improve the stability of char and flame-retardant efficiency. Then, the aqueous dispersion of aniline-containing polyphosphamide(PPAB) was blended into viscose dope and prepared the flame-retardant viscose fibers via wet spinning. The dispersion stability of PPAB in the spinning dope was investigated, along with the flame retardancy, combustion behavior, mechanical properties, and flame-retardant mechanism of the flame-retardant fibers.

Results Optical microscopy and multiple light scattering analysis discovered the uniform dispersion of PPAB in the viscose spinning dope without agglomeration. The dispersion stability maintained over 24 hours as indicated by an almost unchanged backscattering value. Scanning electron microscope revealed that the surface of the flame-retardant viscose fibers remained uniform and smooth at lower PPAB loadings (10%), while mild wrinkling occurred with higher additive content (15%-25%). No distinct particles were observed on the surface or cross-section of the fibers, suggesting excellent compatibility. Flame retardant test showed that with 20% PPAB incorporation (VF/PPAB₂₀), the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the fiber reached 29.8%, demonstrating effective flame retardancy. A further increase to 25% PPAB led to an LOI of 30.6%, suggesting a trend toward saturation in flame-retardant efficiency. After 50 laundering cycles, the LOI of VF/PPAB₂₀ decreased only marginally from 29.8% to 29.4%, representing a reduction of 1.3%. Cone calorimetry tests showed a decrease in the peak heat release rate from 136 kW/m² to 83 kW/m² and in the total heat release from 6.0 MJ/m² to 4.5 MJ/m², while total smoke production remained low. Meanwhile, the tensile strength decreased from 1.8 cN/dtex to 1.5 cN/dtex and whiteness decreased from 64.2% to 60.5% with 20% PPAB. The moisture regain of modified fiber was 13.9%, in comparison with 15.6% for pure viscose. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed an increase in residual char yield at 700 ℃ from 15.6% to 30.8% for VF/PPAB₂₀. TG-IR analysis indicated suppression of flammable gas release and detection of phosphorus and nitrogen-containing fragments in the gas phase. Post-combustion residue characterization via SEM and XPS showed expanded char structures with phosphorus-rich domains. This indicates that PPAB possesses both condensed-phase and gas-phase flame-retardant activities, and shows outstanding stability of char.

Conclusion PPAB exhibited excellent dispersibility and stability in the viscose spinning system, meeting the requirements of the viscose spinning process. The flame-retardant fibers showed uniform morphology and good compatibility between the PPAB and cellulose matrix. PPAB significantly enhanced the flame retardancy of fibers, endowing the fibers with high LOI values and remarkable laundry durability. Cone calorimetry results confirmed a substantial reduction in heat release rate and total heat release and remained low smoke production, indicating significantly improved fire safety. Furthermore, the incorporation of PPAB did not substantially compromise the mechanical properties, moisture regain, or whiteness of the fibers, indicating well-preserved practicality and comfort for end-use applications. PPAB functioned in condensed and gas-phase flame-retardant mechanism. It dominantly enhanced the stability of char, leading to a stable and expanded protective barrier in the condensed phase. It released nitrogen-containing species in the gas phase that diluted flammable gases. Given its excellent applicability and high-efficiency flame retardancy in viscose fibers, PPAB is expected to be extended to other regenerated cellulose fibers.

Objective Wound infections present a serious threat to human health, frequently causing delayed healing and potentially life-threatening complications. With the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens led by antimicrobial overuse, the alternative antibacterial approaches have become crucial. This study developed a biodegradable composite nano electrospun membrane with high antibacterial properties by electrospinning polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) incorporated with peony bark extract (PBE), a natural product known in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, aiming to create an eco-friendly and effective material. Meanwhile, glutaraldehyde (GA) was used as crosslinking agent to enhance the structural stability and water resistance of the membrane in a physiological environment.

Method PVA/PBE composite nanofiber membranes with different mass ratios of PBE were prepared by electrospinning technique, and glutaraldehyde (GA) was used as a crosslinking agent. The applied voltage was 19.5 kV, the feed rate was 0.72 mL/h, and the needle-to-collector distance was 15 cm. The resulting PBE/PVA composite nanofiber membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze fiber morphology and diameter distribution, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify functional groups and investigate molecular interactions, X-ray diffraction (XRD) to assess changes in the crystalline phase, tensile testing to evaluate mechanical strength and flexibility, and water contact angle measurements to determine the surface wettability, which is critical for exudate management in wounds. Their antibacterial performances were evaluated against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Results The pure PVA nanofiber membrane had an average diameter of 0.16 μm. When GA was added, the average diameter of PVA/GA nanofiber membrane increased to 0.25 μm due to the enhanced molecular chain entanglement and increased solution viscosity. The incorporation of PBE further led to the slight increase in the average fiber diameter of PVA/PBE composite nanofiber membrane. When the mass fraction of PBE was 2%, the average fiber diameters in PVA/PBE composite membrane reached about 0.26 μm. SEM images confirmed that all membranes consisted of randomly oriented, continuous nanofibers without significant defects, and the incorporation of PBE did not cause bead formation. The results from FTIR spectra confirmed that the combination between PBE and PVA matrix was physical interactions rather than chemical bonding.The crosslinking effect of GA broadened the characteristic diffraction peak of PVA at around 19.5°, indicating the reduced crystallinity, while the addition of PBE hardly impacted on crystalline structure of PVA. This suggests that PBE was well-dispersed within the amorphous regions of the PVA matrix. Compared with the pure PVA membrane, the tensile strength and water contact angle of PBE/PVA composite membrane were obviously increased, indicating enhanced mechanical robustness and improved hydrophobicity, which is beneficial for maintaining integrity in a moist environment and the elongation at break decreased. When the mass fraction of PBE was 2%, the PVA/PBE composite nano electrospun membrane exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity. Its antibacterial efficiency was 99.99% against Escherichia coli (10.52 mm zone) and 99.88% against Staphylococcus aureus (4.58 mm zone).

Conclusion This study successfully developed a PVA/PBE composite nano electrospun membrane with high antibacterial activity. When the mass fraction of PBE was 2%, the antibacterial efficiency of PVA/PBE composite nano electrospun membrane could reach 99% against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and obviously inhibited the growth of these two bacterial colonies. The enhanced mechanical properties and tailored hydrophobicity further support its potential application as a functional wound dressing material. Our research may provide theoretical references for the antibacterial modification of PVA-based nanofibrous electrospun membranes including traditional Chinese medicine extracts, and expands the application of PVA nanofibrous electrospun membrane in the medical and health field.

Objective To address the challenges of the narrow processing window and high melt viscosity associated with high-melting-point naphthalene-ring-based liquid crystal polyarylates, this study aimed to prepare a series of liquid crystal copolyester fibers with tunable thermal and mechanical properties by precisely adjusting the monomer ratio of 2,6-Naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDA) to terephthalic acid (TA). The goal was to elucidate the structure-property relationship, clarifying how monomer composition influences the molecular chain sequence structure and crystallization behavior, ultimately determining the final material performance.

Method A series of liquid crystal copolyesters derived from p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDA), terephthalic acid (TA), and 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl (BP) were synthesized via melt polycondensation, producing nascent fibers. The molar ratio of NDA to TA was systematically varied, with the NDA content increasing from 7.5% to 20% and the TA content decreasing correspondingly from 17.5% to 5%, while keeping the total content of NDA and TA constant at 25 mol%. The contents of HNA and BP were fixed at 50% and 25%, respectively. The thermal properties, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of the resulting copolyesters were thoroughly characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a universal testing machine.

Results The results indicated that all copolyesters maintained similar lattice parameters (d=0.442-0.445 nm), suggesting an unchanged crystal structure. As the TA proportion increased, the melting temperature (T_m) of the copolyesters significantly decreased from 341 ℃ to 304 ℃, effectively broadening the processing window. Meanwhile, the char yield at 700 ℃ increased to 46.0%, demonstrating excellent thermal stability. The mechanical properties exhibited significant anisotropy, where the asymmetrically composed P-NDA10TA15 fiber achieved a tensile strength of 0.78 GPa, which was approximately 100% higher than that of the symmetrically composed P-NDA12.5TA12.5 (0.39 GPa). The high-TA-content fiber P-NDA7.5TA17.5 reached a modulus of 38.85 GPa. However, when the NDA content exceeded 17.5%, the crystallinity decreased drastically, leading to performance degradation. Rheological analysis confirmed the processing window was located in the viscous flow region (G″> G'), when G' and G″ represent the storage modulus and loss modulus, respectively, with the optimal spinning temperature not exceeding 390 ℃.

Conclusion The monomer composition is a crucial factor in regulating the hierarchical structure, thermal properties, and mechanical performance of liquid crystal polyarylates. Introducing TA units effectively modulates molecular chain packing and interactions, significantly lowering the melting temperature and broadening the processing window while maintaining the intrinsic high thermal stability of the material, thereby optimizing mechanical properties. The P-NDA10TA15 composition demonstrated the most balanced and superior overall performance. This research provides an effective strategy and a theoretical foundation for the molecular design of liquid crystal polyarylate fibers that combine excellent processability with high performance.

Objective In down quality evaluation systems, key indicators such as color and freshness are decisive factors for product grading and market value. For fine-grained quality classification tasks involving down characteristics like color and freshness, traditional manual inspection methods exhibit low efficiency and strong subjectivity, while existing computational approaches demonstrate inadequate capability in recognizing the intricate texture patterns of down materials. To battle these challenges, this study proposes a Tri-phase residual dynamic focus network (Tri-RDFNet) to enhance the classification accuracy of down images, thereby advancing automated quality assessment in the down industry.

Method Building upon an enhanced ResNet architecture, a novel three-stage residual dynamic focus network was developed for fine-grained classification of down feather images. The network incorporated dilated convolution modules, deformable spatial-convolutional block attention module (DS-CBAM), and dynamic gap-aware attention loss (DGALoss) function to enable in-depth feature learning of down images. Furthermore, a three-stage cascaded training strategy was introduced to significantly improve the model's generalization capability. The experimental dataset, collected using industrial camera systems with a bar-shaped white light source, comprised four categories, i.e. white fresh down, white recycled down, colored fresh down, and colored recycled down. Comprehensive experiments were carried out using the established model.

Result Comparative experimental results demonstrated that traditional CNN models, such as AlexNet and VGG, exhibited certain performance bottlenecks in this task, achieving accuracy rates of only 89.32% and 90.26%, respectively. These models struggled to capture the fine-grained differences inherent in down feather images. Although Transformer-based models possess strong global modeling capabilities, they suffer from overfitting due to the limited dataset size and architectural complexity. The backbone model RDFNet enhanced the learning focus on down image features by incorporating atrous convolution modules, DS-CBAM, and DGALoss. As a result, it achieved a classification accuracy of 95.28% on the collected down image dataset, representing an improvement of 1.11%-5.96% compared to traditional models such as AlexNet, VGG, ResNet, ViT, and Swin Transformer. Furthermore, based on this RDFNet backbone, a three-stage cascaded training strategy was introduced. In the first stage, the model was trained globally using the cross-entropy loss function. The second stage employed DGALoss to reweight and train on easily confused samples, yielding a 1.02% increase in accuracy over the first stage. In the third stage, noise samples were filtered, and sample weights were reassigned to further train the retained samples. This final phase enhanced the model accuracy by an additional 0.71%, achieving a final accuracy of 97.01%. This three-stage process reduced the risk of overfitting while improving precision and generalization. Ablation studies confirmed the effectiveness of each component. The atrous convolution module improved the model's ability to perceive multi-scale features in down images, raising the validation accuracy by 0.99%. The DS-CBAM module enhanced the model's feature selection capability by integrating channel attention with deformable spatial convolution, leading to further improvement in accuracy while introducing minor overfitting. When combined, DS-CBAM and atrous convolution boosted accuracy to 95.28%. Introducing the three-stage training scheme and applying FocalLoss during the second stage to focus on hard examples increased accuracy to 96.11%, thus improving model robustness and stability. Replacing FocalLoss with DGALoss for better focus on confusing samples led to the highest validation accuracy of 97.01%, demonstrating DGALoss's superior capability in distinguishing ambiguous down categories.

Conclusion To address the challenge of fine-grained classification in down feather images, this paper proposes an innovative three-stage residual dynamic focusing network. The core backbone model, RDFNet, enhances feature extraction capabilities by improving the ResNet architecture through the integration of DS-CBAM and atrous convolution modules. Based on RDFNet, a three-stage training strategy is designed, consisting of warm-up training, adaptive weighted training using the novel DGALoss function, and refined sample training, collectively forming the Tri-RDFNet model. This approach effectively improves the recognition of easily confused down feather image samples and enhances the model's generalization ability. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a classification accuracy of 97.01% on a self-constructed dataset of 8 000 down feather images, significantly outperforming traditional methods. This provides an efficient solution for automated down quality assessment and offers a valuable reference for fine-grained image classification tasks.

Objective Automatic splicing of a rotor spinning machine is one of the key technologies to measure its automation level, which directly affects the efficiency and quality of spinning. At present, splicing technology used in semi-automatic rotor spinning machines is mostly concentrated on the research of splice mode. When faced with yarn breakage caused by a temporary stop or power failure, it is usually necessary for the spinning operator to carry out the operation of the piercing and splicing end by end, which consumes a lot of manpower and is inefficient. To solve this problem, this research proposes a digital control method of each process (including the feed roller, opening roller, fiber transport channel, rotor, takeoff and bottom roller, winding roller) during yarn breaking and splice and develops a continuous spinning technology of collective automatic tail yarn retention, collective automatic piercing, and collective automatic splicing.

Method Through the construction of the mathematical model of the spun yarn length of the residual fibers in the spinner after the power failure, the guidance program accurately controls the various agencies to stop in an orderly manner, so that the severed tail yarns are stopped in the lead yarn twist blocking tube, to complete the collective automatic tailing. When power is supplied, the doffing mechanism is controlled to wind the tail yarns (as seed yarns) back onto the collection groove of the rotor cup, while new fibers are fed into the collection groove, and the fiber flow is twisted to complete collective piecing and collective splicing. Through the constructed splice model of seed yarn and fiber flow, the program is guided to accurately control the overlap length and twisting time, and further realize the regulation of line density, twist, strength and other parameters of the seed yarn-fiber flow twisted body. On this basis, 30 groups of experiments were designed and the results were compared and analyzed by USTER􀳏TESTER 5, KEYENCE VHX-5000 microscope and image processing (MATLAB^® 2023b).

Results Thirty groups of verification experiments were done by manually cutting off the power supply, the results showed that. the success rate of the splice was 96.7%. The average strength of the splice was 10.435 cN/tex, which was 84.9% of the average strength of the designed normal yarn of 12.29 cN/tex; the average diameter of the splice was 0.69 mm, which is less than twice of the design normal yarn diameter of 0.361 mm. It conforms to the textile industry standards of joints quality and the single yarn breaking strength.

Conclusion This paper analyzes the mechanism of stopping the collective automatic tail yarn retention, collective automatic piecing, and collective automatic splice, constructs the corresponding mathematical model to guide the program to control the sequential movement of the relevant mechanical structure, solves the problem of how to quickly splice the yarn in the process of rotor spinning due to temporary stopping or power outage stopping the whole machine spindle position all yarn breakage, and verifies the model's accuracy through the relevant experiments. The continuous spinning technology of collective automatic tail yarn retention, collective automatic piecing, and collective automatic splice is realized, which provides a new digital jointing technology for rotor spinning broken yarn splice. However, due to the different demands for yarn post-processing in different factories, the parameters of yarn jointing, such as strength and thickness, need to be optimized and adjusted, which is also a direction that needs to be studied in depth in the future.

Objective Staple yarn is the basic element of most textiles, and its tenacity is jointly determined by fiber properties at the microscopic scale and yarn parameters at the macroscopic scale, which profoundly affects the processing efficiency and performance of subsequent products. To reveal the influence mechanism of fiber properties and yarn parameters on staple yarn tenacity and to predict the tenacity, a dual-scale micro-macro prediction model for staple yarn tenacity was constructed.

Method Based on the single-fiber tensile curve, a mesoscopic mechanical model was constructed by integrating fiber properties with staple yarn parameters through inter-fiber stress analysis. The influence of yarn linear density and twist factor on fiber stress and inter-fiber friction was quantified, and a criterion for fiber breakage/slip was established (i.e., at any cross-section of a fiber, if the total friction force on one side is less than the tensile strength the fiber can withstand, the fiber will slip toward that side; otherwise, the fiber will break) leading to the creation of a dual-scale prediction model for predicting staple yarn tenacity. Staple yarns were made with different linear densities and twist factors from the commonly used fibers including cotton, polyester, vinylon, and viscose and tested to validate the accuracy and applicability of the model.

Results The staple yarn tenacity is the ratio of the sum of the effective strength contributed by broken fibers and the effective friction force generated by slipping fibers to the staple yarn linear density. Different macro-parameters of the staple yarn such as the twist factor and linear density were used, and it was found that increasing the twist factor while maintaining the linear density caused the fiber helix angle to increase, leading to a decrease in the effective strength at fiber breakage, and to an increase in the effective friction per unit length thereby inhibiting fiber slip. When the twist factor remained constant, increasing the yarn linear density did not affect the effective strength at fiber breakage but increasing the number of outer-layer fibers would enhance the effective friction per unit length of inner-layer fibers which also inhibits fiber slip. Comparing the predicted and tested tenacity of cotton, polyester, vinylon, and viscose staple yarns at different linear densities and twist factors, it was found that the change patterns of the predicted and the tested tenacity both increased to the peak and then decreased when increasing twist factor, which agrees with the traditional spinning theory. Furthermore, the mean error between predicted and tested tenacity is less than 5%. Three main causes were identified for the prediction error in staple yarn tenacity. First, the overly simplified assumption of staple yarn structure, under which the model neglected migration of fibers in the staple yarn, thereby neglecting the migration-induced entanglement that would otherwise enhance inter-fiber friction, further inhibiting fiber slip. Second, the failure to account for the impact of multiple fiber breaks on yarn tenacity. During the actual tensile process, fibers may break multiple times within the breakage zone. Third, for cotton yarn, the model neglects fiber length distribution, instead using average fiber length to predict yarn tenacity. Nevertheless, the prediction error was sufficiently small.

Conclusion A dual-scale prediction model for staple yarn tenacity based on single-fiber tensile curve was constructed. By investigating the influence of linear density and twist factor on fiber stress and inter-fiber friction, the model reveals the cross-scale interaction mechanism of fiber properties and staple yarn parameters on staple yarn tenacity. The accuracy and applicability of the model were validated using experimental data. The results show that under the same conditions, increasing either yarn linear density or twist factor can inhibit fiber slip; for various staple yarns, the correlation coefficients between the predicted and tested yarn tenacity are all greater than or equal to 0.95; and the mean error is less than 5%, indicating that the model has good accuracy and applicability to predict staple yarn tenacity.

Objective Blended yarns and fabrics can leverage the performance advantages of different fibers, representing a critical direction for the development of high-quality textile materials. To investigate the impact of combing processing on the comfort properties of polyester/cotton blended yarns and fabrics, a novel spinning process route was proposed, where cotton and polyester fibers were combed separately and then blended them during the drawing process to produce polyester-cotton blended yarns that were then used for making fabrics. Through testing and analysis of the comfort properties of such fabrics, the influence of the combing process route on the performance of blended fabrics was explored.

Methods Two different spinning processes were employed to produce polyester/cotton (65/35) blended yarns. For the first process which represent the conventional blended yarn making, the combed cotton fibers were blended with carded polyester slivers during the drawing operation followed by spinning. Following the second process known as the innovative process in this work, the cotton and polyester fibers were combed separately and then blended together during the drawing operation before moving to spinning. The two types of yarns were woven and finished using identical process parameters to produce fabric samples. A comparative analysis of the thermal-wet comfort properties of the two fabrics was conducted to investigate the impact of the combing process route on the comfort properties of the fabrics.

Results Systematic testing and comparison of the performance differences between the two fabrics across multiple comfort indicators revealed that the innovative process offers significant advantages in improving fabric comfort properties. In terms of thermal-wet comfort, compared to the fabric from conventional blended yarn, the fabric made from the innovative blended yarn exhibited a 9.7% increase in average air permeability and a 24% reduction in CV value of air permeability, and a 12.6% increase in moisture permeability and a 55.5% reduction in the CV value of moisture permeability. In terms of tactile comfort, compared to the conventional blended fabric, the innovative blended fabric showed a 6.8% reduction in cool feeling value and a 51.8% reduction in its CV value, a 32.9% decrease in average softness (warp and weft) and a 10% reduction in the softness CV value, a 5.4% reduction in roughness and a 16.8% reduction in its CV value, and a 12.5% reduction in the average length of surface hairiness (warp and weft) and a 56.9% reduction in its CV value. This study confirms that the innovative combing route can comprehensively enhance the comfort properties of the blended fabric.

Conclusion The fabric produced by using blended yarns made through the innovative coming route exhibits significantly improved air permeability and moisture permeability, along with greatly enhanced uniformity in these properties. The fabric softness and softness CV values are markedly reduced, and its smoothness and flatness are significantly improved. Although the cool feeling value slightly decreases, the uniformity of the cool feeling value is significantly enhanced, indicating more uniform and stable temperature sensation when the fabric contacts the skin. It demonstrates the technical advantages brought by the new approach in polyester-cotton blending, which alters the morphological structure of fibers in the yarn and improves yarn uniformity. Notably, the significant reduction in the coefficient of variation for various properties not only reflects the stability of product quality achieved by the innovative process but also highlights its reliability and reproducibility in industrial production, providing essential technical support for the development of high-end functional textiles.

Objective Integrating rigid conductive materials with textile-based flexible structures still encounters significant challenges in design compatibility, structure-performance coupling, and device reliability. Departing from conventional strategies that rely on intricate functional materials, this study fabricates an all-textile flexible strain-sensing fabric by tuning multiscale parameters, including yarn wrapping mode, twist, and fabric structure. The switchable structure textile strain sensor is expected to the performance requirements in practical scenarios such as fetal-movement simulation and gait recognition, highlighting its broad potential in intelligent wearable systems.

Method The spandex core yarn was fed into the braider under 100 cN pre-tension. Two silver-nylon and two spandex yarns were mounted counter-directionally and braided around the core into an X-interlocked structure at a 0.2 mm pitch. The X-braided yarn was then twisted at 50 turns/m in S and Z directions. These twisted yarns were arranged in an "SSZZ" pattern as warp (8 counts/cm) on a loom, interwoven with nylon weft (6 counts/cm), forming a stable switchable structure textile strain sensor with high strength and durability.

Results This study developed a highly sensitive and wide range flexible wearable device based on innovative design of sensing yarn wrapped in the opposite direction and switchable structure textile strain sensor. Sensing yarn wrapped in the opposite direction featured a counter-directional wrapping structure. At 0% strain, two silver-plated nylon yarns were in close contact, yielding low resistance. At 100% strain, the spandex acted as an isolation layer, causing complete separation of the filaments and maximum resistance. In contrast, sensing yarn wrapped in the same direction lacked this mechanism, reaching its maximum the relative resistance at only 20%-60% strain and showing no further increase beyond 60% strain due to identical wrapping direction and the absence of an isolation layer. The sensing yarn wrapped in the opposite direction exhibited a gauge factor (G_F) of 1.04 (R²= 0.999) at 0%-60% strain. At 60% - 100% strain, its G_F further increased to 2.21, while that of sensing yarn wrapped in the same direction dropped to 0.04. The sensing yarn wrapped in the opposite direction also demonstrated a wider response range (0%-100%), faster response/recovery (0.65 s/0.75 s), and excellent durability over 500 cycles. Furthermore, the yarn was woven into a switchable structure textile strain sensor. The fabric exhibited segmented sensitivity, where G_F reached 3.47 (R²= 0.995) at 0%-60% strain, 2.21 at 60%-100%, and 0.87 at 100%- 140%, achieving both high sensitivity and a broad sensing range. The structure remained stable under stepped strain (20%-140%), with no significant signal drift. It also showed rapid response (100 ms) and recovery (150 ms), consistent performance across frequencies (0.2-0.7 Hz), and outstanding durability over 1 500 cycles. The fabric was applied in fetal movement monitoring, offering stable signal output under simulated conditions. Additionally, when integrated into smart shoe uppers, it captured complex gait signals. Using a convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm, the sensing fabric achieved 97.14% accuracy in classifying seven gait types.

Conclusion Through weaving technology and textile topological structure design, the coordinated effect of deformation between yarns and the textile structure is achieved. This enables the sensing textile to maintain high sensitivity while realizing a wide detection range of 0%-140%. Based on the wide detection range of the sensing fabric, as well as the comfort and electromagnetic shielding effect of the fabric itself, the feasibility of its application in fetal movement detection for pregnant women is verified. Leveraging the high sensitivity of the sensing fabric, it is integrated into shoe uppers, through signal acquisition and the combination of convolutional neural network, accurate recognition and prediction of highly complex gait patterns are realized. It is anticipated that this work inspires the development of flexible strain sensors with textile structures and provides an effective and cost-efficient design strategy for the next generation of intelligent robot systems.

Objective To address the issues of high cost, insufficient stability, and cumbersome enzyme immobilization processes of traditional enzyme-based glucose sensors, and to meet the demand for flexible and high-sensitivity sweat glucose detection in wearable health monitoring, this study proposes a preparation strategy for an enzyme-free glucose sensor based on a flexible cotton yarn substrate.

Method First, cotton yarn was pretreated with a mixed solution of NaOH and Na₂CO₃ to improve surface reactivity. Then, a PEDOT conductive layer was constructed on the pretreated cotton yarn via low-temperature in-situ polymerization using EDOT as the monomer, Na₂S₂O₈ as the oxidant, and TsOH as the dopant. Subsequently, a three-electrode system was adopted for electrochemical deposition: the PEDOT composite cotton yarn composite served as the working electrode, a platinum column as the counter electrode, and a saturated calomel electrode as the reference electrode. A mixed solution of CuSO₄, Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, and citric acid (each 0.05 mol/L, pH adjusted to 11 with NaOH) was used as the electrolyte, and Cu₂CoO₃ nanoparticle arrays were deposited at -1.2 V to prepare Cu₂CoO₃/PEDOT composite cotton yarn composite fiber electrodes. The morphology, elemental distribution, and chemical valence state of the electrodes were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XPS, while their electrochemical and glucose-sensing performances were tested by an electrochemical workstation using CV and amperemetric I-t techniques.

Results SEM and characterizations showed that Cu₂CoO₃ nanoparticles with a cubic-spherical composite structure were uniformly load-ed on the PEDOT-modified cotton fiber surface, and Cu, Co, and O elements were distributed homogeneously. XPS analysis confirmed the successful composite of PEDOT and Cu₂CoO₃, with Cu existing as Cu²⁺, Co as Co²⁺ and Co³⁺, and abundant active oxygen species on the electrode surface electrochemical tests indicated that the electrode reaction was controlled by the diffusion step. At the optimal working potential of 0.70 V (vs. Hg/HgO), the electrode exhibited a linear glucose detection range of 0.005-12.7 mmol/L, with a high sensitivity of 1.173 mA/(mmol·cm²) in the low concentration range (0.005-2.2 mmol/L) and a detection limit of 1 μmol/L (S/N=3).

Conclusion The Cu₂CoO₃/PEDOT composite cotton yarn electrode composite fiber electrode prepared by the synergistic process of low-temperature polymerization and electrochemical deposition integrates the high conductivity of PEDOT and the synergistic catalytic activity of Cu₂CoO₃ bi-metallic oxide. It exhibits excellent performance including high sensitivity, low detection limit, rapid response, and good stability for glucose detection. With low-cost cotton yarn as the substrate and mild preparation conditions, this sensor provides a feasible technical route for the development of high-performance, non-invasive wearable health monitoring systems and has broad ap-plication prospects in sweat glucose detection.

Objective To address the high energy consumption and environmental burden of traditional actuators, this study aims to develop sustainable, humidity-driven smart fibers based on viscose, a biodegradable material with excellent hygroscopicity. Two types of humidity-responsive fiber bundles were designed, which are a “rotatable” type that performs torsional actuation through moisture-induced untwisting, and a “contractile” type that exhibits axial contraction under humidity stimuli.

Method Viscose fibers were thermally stretched at 60 ℃ first to improve molecular orientation and mechanical strength. The "rotatable" humidity-responsive fiber bundles were fabricated by twisting three viscose fibers with varying twist levels (10-20 twists/cm) and folding them to form double-helix structures. The "contractile" humidity-responsive fiber bundles were prepared by helically winding the "rotatable" humidity-responsive fiber bundles onto steel rods and thermally setting them at 95 ℃. Morphological, structural, and mechanical properties were characterized using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and tensile testing. Humidity-induced torsion and contraction behaviors were recorded under controlled water mist concentrations using optical and video analysis.

Results Research results demonstrated that thermal stretching significantly enhanced the hygroscopic expansion and mechanical performance of the viscose fibers. The swelling ratio of thermally stretched fibers increased by 64.47%, and their tensile strength improved by 12.5%. XRD results revealed a rise in molecular orientation factor of the thermally stretched fibers from 0.82 to 0.86, confirming enhanced structural order.For "rotatable" humidity-responsive fiber bundles, torsional performance strongly depended on the twist level. The optimal actuation was achieved at a twist of 18 twists/cm, producing a maximum rotation angle of 1 075.5(°)/cm and a maximum rotational speed of 65.1(°)/(cm·s) under a water mist flux of 0.11 g/s. These fibers also exhibited excellent reversibility, completing full forward and reverse rotations upon humidity cycling. The actuation mechanism was explained by a geometric model linking fiber swelling and untwisting dynamics. For "contractile" humidity-responsive fiber bundles, both twist and coil pitch significantly influenced contraction performance. The best contraction occurred at a twist of 18 twists/cm and a pitch of 0.15 cm, achieving a maximum contraction ratio of 76.7% and a contraction rate of 23.3 %/s. Increasing water vapor concentration accelerated actuation speed without affecting maximum deformation. Notably, these bundles demonstrated high humidity sensitivity. When stimulated by body-temperature vapor from evaporating water droplets, a contraction of 62.22% was witnessed within 82 s. These findings demonstrate that viscose-based fiber bundles can serve as efficient, reversible, and green actuators for low-power soft systems. A proof-of-concept "smart window" driven by the "rotatable" humidity-responsive fiber bundles illustrated their potential in adaptive, energy-free environmental control devices.

Conclusion This work developed two types of humidity-responsive viscose fiber bundles successfully with distinct actuation modes. Thermal stretching effectively improved molecular orientation and hygroscopic expansion, providing a structural foundation for enhanced actuation. The "rotatable" humidity-responsive fiber bundles exhibited superior torsional performance, while the "contractile" humidity-responsive fiber bundles achieved remarkable linear contraction and high sensitivity to ambient humidity. Structural parameters such as twist density and coil pitch were identified as key factors influencing actuation efficiency. The study provides a new design strategy for sustainable, humidity-driven soft actuators that convert environmental water vapor energy into mechanical motion without external power. Such fiber-based actuators hold great promise for applications in smart textiles, adaptive ventilation systems, and self-regulating wearable devices, offering a low-cost and eco-friendly alternative to conventional energy-consuming actuators.

Objective This study aimed to develop high-performance textile-based embroidery electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes by investigating the influence of conductive yarn materials on their sensing properties. Conventional Ag/AgCl gel electrodes often cause skin irritation and performance degradation over prolonged use, necessitating the development of durable and comfortable alternatives. Four types of conductive yarns—nylon/silver, polyester/copper fiber, polyester/stainless steel fiber, and polyester/carbon fiber—were selected to fabricate embroidery electrodes. The research evaluated their structural characteristics, electrical properties, and ECG signal acquisition performance to identify the most suitable material for long-term monitoring.

Method Embroidery electrodes were fabricated using an elastic knitted fabric as the substrate and a bionic pattern inspired by tree frog toe pads to enhance the stability of skin-electrode contact. Four conductive yarns with identical linear density and metal content (15%-18%) were employed. Electrode thickness, flatness, surface resistance, skin-electrode interface impedance, and ECG signals were systematically measured. A standard limb lead system was used for ECG acquisition, and signal quality was evaluated using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Pearson correlation coefficient, with medical gel electrodes as the reference. Martindale abrasion tests were conducted to assess durability under repeated friction.

Results The experimental results provided a comprehensive evaluation of how conductive yarn materials influence the structural, electrical, and functional properties of embroidery ECG electrodes. Among the four types tested, the nylon/silver electrode demonstrated the most favorable characteristics. It exhibited the lowest surface resistance across all measurement directions, with values significantly lower than those of the other electrodes. This can be attributed to its uniform silver coating and continuous conductive pathways formed during embroidery. The skin-electrode interface impedance for the nylon/silver electrode was also the lowest and remained the most stable over a 60-minute wearing period, indicating effective and consistent electrical coupling with the skin. In terms of dynamic signal acquisition, it achieved the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 36.65 dB and the strongest Pearson correlation coefficient (0.97) with the standard Ag/AgCl gel electrode, confirming its superior accuracy in capturing ECG waveforms, including distinct P-waves, QRS complexes, and T-waves. The polyester/stainless steel fiber electrode ranked second in overall performance, which showed relatively low surface resistance and moderate skin-electrode impedance. Its rigidity, however, limited its ability to conform closely to skin during movement, leading to slight signal fluctuations. The polyester/copper fiber electrode suffered from discontinuous conductive networks due to fiber wear and breakage, resulting in higher resistance and unstable impedance. Meanwhile, the polyester/carbon fiber electrode, despite having the thinnest structure, displayed the highest electrical resistance and significant impedance variability, which led to poor signal stability and visible waveform distortion during ECG monitoring. Abrasion testing further differentiated the long-term usability of these electrodes. The nylon/silver electrode exhibited exceptional durability, maintaining a high SNR of 28.32 dB and a correlation coefficient above 0.8 even after 10 000 friction cycles. The polyester/stainless steel fiber electrode withstood up to 7 500 cycles before a noticeable decline in signal quality, benefiting from the inherent hardness of stainless steel fibers. In contrast, the polyester/copper fiber electrode experienced a rapid 181% increase in resistance after 10 000 cycles, while the polyester/carbon fiber electrode surged by 204% under the same conditions, indicating poor abrasion resistance. These mechanical limitations directly compromised their signal acquisition capabilities after repeated use. Overall, the combination of low initial electrical resistance, stable skin-electrode contact, high signal fidelity, and superior abrasion resistance makes the nylon/silver-based embroidery electrode a highly promising candidate for long-term, reliable ECG monitoring in practical wearable applications.

Conclusion This study confirms that the choice of conductive yarn material plays a critical role in determining the performance and durability of embroidery ECG electrodes. Nylon/silver yarn, with its uniform conductive layer and mechanical flexibility, provides optimal electrical properties, signal stability, and abrasion resistance, making it the most suitable material for long-term wearable health monitoring applications. Polyester/stainless steel fiber yarn offers a compromise between conductivity and durability but is limited by its rigidity. Polyester/copper fiber and polyester/carbon fiber yarns are less favorable due to their susceptibility to wear, high resistance variability, and poor dynamic response. These results provide a clear material selection guideline for developing high-performance textile-based electrodes, emphasizing the importance of both initial performance and mechanical resilience in practical use. Future work may focus on optimizing embroidery parameters and hybrid material designs to further enhance comfort and functionality.

Objective Existing temperature-regulating textiles are known for not meeting thermal regulation requirement under specific climates, impairing thermal comfort. Thermosensitive textiles show large variations in thermal sensing ranges, with complex manufacturing and poor washability. Furthermore, humidity-sensitive textiles also fail to adjust thermal regulation with temperature. Herein, structure-driven wet-responsive textiles were prepared via core-sheath yarn actuators based on the multi-level helical structure design and the resulting chiral loops of the fabrics. Combined with boron nitride (BN) and γ-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane (KH-570) hydrophobic finishing and poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide(PDMAPS)grafting, a thermosensitive amphiphilic interface was constructed, realizing synergistic humidity-temperature dual-response regulation.

Method Viscose and polyester yarns with optimal twist(the twist of viscose yarn at 1 200 per meter, and polyester yarns at 500 per meter) were heat-set at 90 ℃ and 200 ℃. Core-sheath yarn actuators were prepared using viscose as covering yarn and polyester as core yarn (winding density at 50 per centimeter). These yarns were knitted into a plain knitted fabric, then the fabric was stretched and heated to form the chiral looped structure. The as-prepared fabrics were then soaked in BN/KH-570 solution, dried, then immersed in DMAPS/phosphate buffer (1∶10 mass ratio, 1∶40 liquid-fabric ratio) with horseradish peroxidase (HRP), acetylacetone (ACAC), H₂O₂. Reaction ran at 37 ℃ in nitrogen oil bath. Fabrics were washed in deionized water and then air-dried to obtain the treated fabric sample PDMAPS-BN/KH-570. Core-sheath yarn actuator driving performance and fabric's temperature-humidity response were studied.

Results A comparison was made between the core-sheath polyester/viscose yarn and heat-set viscose yarn. The research unveiled a series of significant differences. When it came to torsional actuation and recovery, the core-sheath polyester/viscose yarn showed low hysteresis, indicating low energy loss and speedy recovery. The core-sheath yarn structure was remarkably stable and durable, ensuring long-term performance without degradation. In terms of mechanical strength, core-sheath polyester/viscose yarn outperformed the heat-set viscose yarn by a large margin in that the breaking strength of the former was 3.4 times that of the latter, indicating superior ability to withstand tension without breaking. The breaking elongation of the former was 1.25 times higher than that of the latter, showing better flexibility and stretchability. Focusing on the fabric made from the core-sheath polyester/viscose yarn, it was of interest to note that when fully wet, the porosity of the fabric increased from 12.75% in the dry state to 25.25%, nearly doubling. Moreover, it could smoothly switch between dry and wet states within this porosity range, providing great adaptability to personal microenvironment. The response temperature played a crucial role in regulating the fabric surface property. At 25 ℃, the water contact angle of the fabric was about 107°, and water droplets stayed on its surface for over 20 s, demonstrating clear hydrophobicity. However, when the temperature rose to 40 ℃, the water contact angle rapidly decreased to 0 within 12 s, and the fabric turned hydrophilic. This reversible change between hydrophilic and hydrophobic states enabled adaptive regulation of heat convection, conduction, and radiation. In practical applications, when the fabric was wetted at high temperatures, the cuff size of a sleeve made from the core-sheath polyester/viscose yarn increased by 9.01%, and the sleeve length shrank by 6.51% due to the torsional deformation of chiral loops of the knitted fabric. In contrast, when exposed to moisture at low temperatures, it remained unchanged in shape, showing excellent stability. Furthermore, the fabric excelled in various aspects compared to commercial fabrics, such as softness, flatness, resilience, and drape. All these properties make the fabric a promising material for a wide range of uses.

Conclusion Through the design of textile multi-level structure, a knitted fabric with intelligent humidity and temperature self-adaptive intelligent temperature regulation function is developed, using the prepared viscose/polyester wrapped yarn. Then the temperature responsive polymer was introduced through a two-step grafting process to achieve the adaptive control of the fabric on the characteristics of heat convection, heat conduction and heat radiation. Besides, the response temperature of the textile is controlled at about 35 ℃, and its porosity can achieve dynamic switching from 12.75% to 25.25% between the dry and wet state. The tight knitted structure with low porosity in dry state facilitates body heat retention in cool environments. Upon wetting, the porosity increases to enhance thermal and moisture transfer to accelerate evaporative cooling during perspiration. When this fabric is made into sleeves, it undergoes adaptive structural and dimensional changes in scenarios where the human body sweats at high temperatures. These adaptive changes can regulate temperature, enabling the human body to maintain a comfortable sensory experience. This fully demonstrates its potential for manufacturing smart clothing and provides a new path to enhance the stability, robustness and personalized control ability of smart textiles in changing environments. In addition, the uniform wet response law was also observed in the knitted fabrics with the same structure made of cotton and nylon, which confirmed that the textile multi-level structure design strategy had good versatility.

Objective To address the poor mechanical properties and unidirectional functionality of conventional radiative thermoregulatory textiles, this study developed a dual-mode fabric capable of dynamically switching between cooling and heating. This was achieved by preparing thermoregulatory nanofiber-coated yarns via conjugate electrospinning and subsequent weaving. Based on the understanding that over 50% of human body heat exchange occurs via radiation, this mechanism was strategically utilized as the main pathway for thermal regulation. The core goal was to create a scalable and user-friendly textile that enables on-demand thermal comfort through a simple physical action - flipping the fabric, aiming to provide a practical zero-energy solution for personal microclimate control.

Methods Core-sheath structured coated yarns were fabricated using conjugate electrospinning. Cotton fibers served as the core for mechanical strength and comfort. Two functional polymer solutions were used to form the sheath membrane. A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) solution with silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles was used for radiative cooling, and a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solution blended with MXene nanosheets was employed for radiative heating. The concentrations of SiO₂ and MXene in the corresponding solutions were varied from 1 to 5 wt% to optimize performance. These core/sheath functional yarns were woven into a double-faced fabric with a cooling side and a heating side. The morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical properties (solar reflectance and absorptance, 250-2 500 nm) were measured via UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. Uniform dispersion of particles was verified using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Thermal performance was evaluated under indoor simulated solar irradiation (1 000 W/m²) using an infrared camera and in outdoor field tests under natural sunlight (500-1 000 W/m²), with plain cotton fabric as the baseline.

Results Morphological analysis showed that the radiative cooling nanofiber-coated yarns (10% PVDF-3% SiO₂) exhibited a distinct nanoparticle-structured surface, significantly enhancing light scattering. This structure achieved an average solar reflectance more than 83% via Mie scattering, effectively reducing heat gain. In contrast, the radiative heating yarns (10% PAN-2% MXene) maintained a smooth surface, with MXene providing a high solar absorptance of 0.78 for efficient light and heat absorption.Thermal performance was found obvious. In indoor tests conducted using a xenon lamp, compared to cotton fabric (47.3 ℃), the cooling side of the material achieved a temperature reduction of 3.0 ℃ (reaching 44.3 ℃), while the heating side increased the temperature by 18.6 ℃ (reaching 65.9 ℃). Outdoor tests under ambient conditions of 22-33 ℃ exhibited enhanced temperature regulation performance: the cooling side achieved a temperature reduction (ΔT) of 6.3 ℃ relative to cotton, and the heating side attained a temperature increase (ΔT) of 28.4 ℃. The core mechanism lies in the synergistic effect—SiO₂ nanoparticles provide cooling via Mie scattering of sunlight, while MXene enables strong and broadband (200-2 500 nm) photothermal absorption for heating.

Conclusion In summary, a reversible dual-mode radiative thermoregulatory fabric was successfully demonstrated, fabricated via conjugate electrospinning and weaving. The fabric enables efficient, switchable cooling/heating through simple inversion, outperforming conventional textiles with substantial temperature differentials (ΔT up to 28.4 ℃). The optimized formulations, i.e. 10% PVDF-3% SiO₂ nanofiber-coated yarn for cooling and 10% PAN-2% MXene nanofiber-coated yarn for heating, effectively balance processability with excellent optical and thermal performance. This technology offers a highly adaptable, scalable, and energy-free solution for advanced personal thermal management, suitable for outdoor environments.

Objective This study aims to comprehensively investigate the performance degradation mechanism of poly-4-methyl-1-pentene (PMP) membrane fabrics used for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) affected by the warp-knitting preparation process. The primary focus is to elucidate the influence of yarn tension, a critical process parameter, on the morphological evolution, pore structure stability, and ultimate gas exchange performance of the PMP membrane. The research seeks to establish a quantitative relationship between process mechanics and material functionality, thereby providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidelines for the optimized design and low-damage industrial production of high-performance ECMO membrane fabrics.

Method An integrated methodology combining geometric modeling, finite element (FE) simulation validated by experimental results, and an extended numerical study was employed. Initially, a three-dimensional geometric model of the ECMO membrane fabric stitch was constructed based on actual dimensional measurements (with stitch height being 593.15 μm, stitch width 243.25 μm) obtained from fabrics knitted on a TM-WEFT warp-knitting machine. This model, developed using the proprietary textile CAD software Textile AI Design System iTDS 3.0, accurately represented the interaction between the polyester yarn and the PMP membrane. Subsequently, a mechanical FE model was established in Abaqus CAE-2021. The material parameters for the PMP membrane (Young's modulus 147.0 MPa, yield strength 2.28 MPa) and polyester yarn were determined through uniaxial tensile tests and incorporated into the simulation. The model was rigorously validated against experimental data, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphological changes and porosity analysis for quantifying open porosity (OP) and closed pore volume under different tension levels. The established model was used to simulate the knitting process by applying varying yarn tensions ranging from 0.1 N to 0.45 N at the yarn end, with fixed constraints at other key points. The mesh configuration was meticulously designed, employing tetrahedral elements with local inflation techniques for contact regions post-knitting, resulting in models with up to 2.83 million elements and a mesh quality consistently above 0.83. The simulation outputs, namely Logarithmic Strain (LE) and Equivalent Plastic Strain (PE), were analyzed to assess total and irreversible deformations.

Results The numerical study revealed that yarn tension applied in knitting significantly affects the deformation and gas exchange performance of PMP membranes. When the yarn tension was below 0.15 N, the PMP membrane showed elastic deformation with minimal impact on its structure and performance. As the tension increased to 0.20 N, the membrane began to exhibit plastic deformation, resulting in a reduction of the outer diameter and pore structure deformation. When the yarn tension applied in knitting exceeded 0.20 N, the plastic deformation became pronounced, leading to a significant decrease in open porosity. Specifically, at a tension of 0.35 N, the open porosity decreased by 15.6%, and the closed pore and pore-wall volume ratio increased by 21.6% compared to the initial PMP status. SEM images confirmed that high tension caused irreversible damage to the pore structure, including pore collapse and the formation of wrinkles and microcracks. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrated that excessive yarn tension adversely affects the gas exchange capacity of the membrane.

Conclusion This study successfully deciphers the damage mechanism inflicted upon PMP membrane fabrics during the ECMO warp-knitting process, establishing yarn tension as the pivotal controlling parameter. The research conclusively identifies 0.20 N as the critical threshold beyond which significant plastic deformation occurs, leading to irreversible pore structure collapse and a consequent severe decline in gas exchange efficiency. The synergistic application of FE simulation and experimentation has not only validated the "deformation-diffusion path" physical model but also provided quantitative criteria for process optimization. Therefore, strictly controlling the yarn tension below 0.20 N is imperative for minimizing mechanical damage, preserving optimal porosity, and ensuring the high gas exchange performance of ECMO membrane fabrics. These insights offer robust theoretical support and actionable, quantitative guidance for the precision manufacturing and industrial-scale production of reliable, high-performance ECMO membrane fabrics, advancing the endeavor toward their domestic production and material optimization.

Objective Basalt fiber (BF), as an environmentally high-performance fiber, exhibits great potential in flame protective clothing. Compared to commercially available flame-retardant materials, BF's inherent flame-retardant properties are more environmentally friendly. However, the BF's disadvantages, such as poor toughness, high modulus, and brittleness, lead to easy fiber fracture during textile production and processing. Consequently, addressing the issue of BF twist fracture is critical to fulfill yarn and fabric preparation.

Method In this work, waterborne polyurethane (WPU)/nano silica (SiO₂) sizing agent (WS) was prepared by blending WPU with SiO₂, and scanning electron microscopy and FT-IR spectra confirmed the successful application of the sizing agent. The effects of WPU content, SiO₂ content, twists, and drying temperature on yarn strength, abrasion resistance and hairiness were analyzed to identify the optimal spinning process for modified yarn production. Finally, WPU/SiO₂/BF yarn (WSBF) was blended with commercially available flame-retardant viscose fiber (CV) and meta-aramid fiber (PMIA) to prepare double-layer knitted fabrics (WSBF/CV,WSBF/PMIA). These blended fabrics demonstrate the weavability and wearability of modified basalt yarns, followed by an analysis of the fabric’s comfort, flame retardancy, and fire resistance were discussed.

Results WPU/SiO₂ exhibited a visible covering layer and uneven roughness on the fiber surface, and the FT-IR absorption bands confirmed its successful incorporation. When 8% WPU was added, WSBF strength reached 58.83 N, which is 51.7% higher than at 2%, and it withstood 406 abrasion cycles with minimal hairiness. As SiO₂ content increased gradually to 1%, yarn abrasion resistance was improved, and hairiness reduced, although yarn strength was slightly dropped. Based on overall yarn performance, 1% SiO₂ was selected. Analogously, 90 twists/m and 100 ℃ were selected. These blends with CV and PMIA were used to weave WSBF/CV and WSBF/PMIA double-layer knitted fabrics, which have air permeabilities of 1 992 mm/s and 2 024 mm/s, respectively, 116.3% and 21.3% higher than the pure knitted CV and PMIA fabrics. For fabric moisture permeability, although the increased fabric thickness expanded water transport channels, the relative effect of the increased porosity kept it above 92%. For fabric hairiness, the entangling effect of WSBF on CV and PMIA reduces the hairiness of blended fabrics below 0.2 mm. During vertical combustion test, the damage length of WSBF/PMIA has declined to 5.6 cm. During 5 s of flame heating, the fabric surface is within safe temperature ranges for humans. At 1 300 ℃ high-temperature damage, combustible materials were protected by WSBF/PMIA structural integrity, and fireproofing improvement.

Conclusion The sizing of WPU/SiO₂ is proven to enhance the yarn properties, and the WSBF is successfully prepared by investigating WPU content, SiO₂ content, twisting, and drying temperature. WSBF is blended with CV and PMIA yarns to create WSBF/CV and WSBF/PMIA fabrics, which maintain the comfort of pure fabrics. During combustion, the damage to blended fabric is reduced, fabric integrity is improved, and flame-retardant properties are enhanced. When exposed to direct flame, WSBF/CV and WSBF/PMIA achieve short-time flame fetch, with excellent fireproof performance at temperatures up to 1 300 ℃.

Objective As widely used thermoelectric materials, ionogels offer advantages such as high ionic conductivity, excellent chemical stability, and a broad operating temperature range, but their mechanical properties are relatively poor. Due to their unique structure, outstanding mechanical properties, and mature industrialization, three-dimensional spacer fabrics exhibit distinct advantages for the development of high-performance and low-cost flexible materials. In this study, by integrating ionogels with knitted spacer fabrics, a double-layer structured device was designed to simultaneously achieve photothermal evaporation and thermoelectric power generation, thereby enhancing the solar energy utilization efficiency.

Method Using Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ as the redox pair, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) were doped into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via physical blending method, respectively. By employing spacer fabric as the skeleton, ionogel (thermoelectric layer) was prepared by freeze-thaw. Different spacer fabrics, electrostatic-flocked with graphene/carbon nanotubes/carbon powder (photothermal layer) and integrated with cotton strip water channels, formed a bilayer structure (upper fabric, lower ionogel). Its Seebeck coefficient, output power, conductivity, photothermal and evaporation performances were studied.

Results The study focused on three types of ionogels, namely, PVA-PDMS, PVA-SiO₂, and pure PVA. Comprehensive characterization through Seebeck coefficient measurements, output power testing, and electrical conductivity assessments revealed that the incorporation of specific fillers into the PVA matrix significantly alters the thermoelectric properties. The doping with PDMS and SiO₂ respectively demonstrated a pronounced impact on the ionogels' performance metrics. Among the three formulations, PVA-PDMS ionogel exhibited superior thermoelectric characteristics, achieving a Seebeck coefficient of 1.62 mV/K, a maximum output power of 156.0 nW, and an electrical conductivity of 1.73 S/m. Concurrently, the photothermal and evaporation capabilities were examined using a simulated solar irradiation system, consisting of a xenon lamp equipped with an AM 1.5 optical filter. A comparative analysis was performed on spacer fabrics of varying specifications that were functionalized with different electrostatic flocking materials, namely graphene, carbon nanotubes, and carbon powder. This evaluation aimed to determine the influence of both the fabric pore structure and the carbon-based coating material on the photothermal conversion efficiency and water evaporation rate. Under standardized testing conditions at an illumination intensity of 1 kW/m², the medium-pore-sized spacer fabric modified with carbon powder electrostatic flocking demonstrated optimal performance. This particular configuration yielded enhanced photothermal response and the highest evaporation efficiency, reaching a notable evaporation rate of 1.26 kg/(m²·h). The research successfully integrated these components into a coherent bilayer architecture, comprising an upper spacer fabric layer for photothermal processes and a lower ionogel layer for thermoelectric conversion. This strategically designed photothermal-thermoelectric dual-layer composite structure demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous and efficient solar energy harvesting for two distinct purposes, i.e., generating power through the thermoelectric effect and producing clean water via photothermal evaporation. This configuration confirms the feasibility of simultaneous and efficient solar energy harvesting for two distinct applications: thermoelectric power generation and photothermal water evaporation, thereby providing a viable approach for enhancing overall solar energy utilization efficiency.

Conclusion Through structural design, a spacer fabric and an ionogel were integrated to develop a photothermal-thermoelectric bilayer composite structure with an upper spacer fabric layer and a lower ionogel layer. Test results indicated that the PVA-PDMS ionogel exhibited superior thermoelectric performance, while the medium-pore-size spacer fabric with carbon powder electrostatic flocking demonstrated enhanced photothermal and evaporation performance. This integrated configuration enables simultaneous photothermal evaporation and thermoelectric power generation under solar irradiation, providing a novel strategy for the integration of photothermal and thermoelectric structures.

Objective This study focuses on the critical issue of feature loss in fabric image retrieval under complex real-world conditions, including uneven illumination, fabric folding, and occlusions. These challenges significantly degrade retrieval performance, limiting practical applications. To address this, we propose a novel feature fusion-based method that integrates complementary image features to improve retrieval robustness and accuracy. The research is important for facilitating intelligent fabric identification, which benefits textile production workflows and online fabric commerce.

Method A fabric image dataset with over 28 000 images was constructed, covering diverse complex scenes with varying lighting, folds, and occlusions. Local texture features were extracted using the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT), which is robust to scale and rotation. These were aggregated into compact global descriptors via the Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD). Simultaneously, deep semantic features were obtained from a pretrained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to capture high-level information. Finally, a weighted fusion strategy combined low-level handcrafted and high-level deep features to enhance representation and improve retrieval performance under challenging conditions.

Results Experiments were conducted on a dataset consisting of over 28 000 fabric images collected under diverse and complex conditions. The proposed feature fusion method achieved a mean average precision (P_mAP) of 0.845. The precision at top 5 retrieved images (P) was 78.8%, and the recall at top 5 (R) reached 65.1%. These results reflect high top-ranked relevance and broad retrieval coverage under challenging scenarios. Ablation studies were carried out to investigate the influence of key parameters. When varying the number of VLAD dimensions retained after PCA, retrieval performance changed accordingly, with the best results obtained when 1 024 dimensions were preserved. Different CNN backbone networks were evaluated, including AlexNet, VGG16, ResNet18, and ResNet101. Among them, ResNet101 yielded comparatively better retrieval outcomes. Fusion weight of allocation experiments indicated that assigning higher weights to handcrafted features led to higher P_mAP, P, and R values. Comparisons with representative methods, including handcrafted approaches (MLBP, SIFT-ORB, GCM, FLBP) and deep learning models (VGG16), showed that the fusion method consistently achieved higher retrieval accuracy. Under varying conditions such as illumination changes, fabric folding, and partial occlusion, the method maintained stable performance. Evaluation across different fabric categories and scene complexities demonstrated consistent ranking results. These findings suggest that combining handcrafted and deep features contributes to improved retrieval performance across a range of scenarios.

Conclusion This paper presents a fabric image retrieval method tailored for complex scenarios by fusing handcrafted and deep features. The integration leverages the fine-grained descriptive power of traditional features and the semantic abstraction capabilities of deep learning, resulting in enhanced discriminability and robustness. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms both conventional techniques and the VGG16 model, achieving a maximum P_mAP 0.875 and P of 78.8% while maintaining efficient retrieval speed. The method exhibits stable performance under challenging conditions such as intricate textures and diverse patterns, making it suitable for practical applications like fabric retrieval and quality inspection. Future work will explore multi-scale feature fusion and lightweight network design to further improve adaptability and scalability across various deployment environments. This study highlights the potential of hybrid feature strategies in bridging the gap between low-level detail and high-level semantics, providing valuable insights for industrial vision systems.

Objective Conventional two-bath/two-step sequence, namely alkaline degumming followed by reactive dyeing, employed for Apocynum venetum, is featured by high water and energy consumption and heavy effluent loads. Herein, a one-bath integrated degumming-dyeing protocol was developed to achieve more efficient processing of Apocynum venetum.

Method Three different types of reactive dyes, namely, M-type, BES-type and Cibacron-type, were used as dyes in one-bath process, and the reactive dye suitable for the process was screened out. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) optimization was then used to optimize the one-bath process. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed new strategy, the one-bath process was compared with the two-bath process in terms of water consumption, electricity consumption and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of wastewater. Finally, the physical and chemical properties of the treated Apocynum venetum were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared(FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction(XRD).

Results Among the three reactive dyes evaluated, M-type demonstrated the best performance in the one-bath process. Optimization via Response Surface Methodology yielded the following conditions: dye concentration 1% (o.w.f), enzyme 1.75 g/L, degumming at 80 ℃, H₂O₂ (30%) 25% (o.w.f), and dyeing at 60 ℃ for 60 min. These parameters resulted in a residual gum rate of 6.2%, a high K/S value of 3.38, and excellent wash fastness (grade 4-5). The one-bath process showed significant advantages over the conventional two-bath method in reducing water consumption by 38.7%, energy use by 42.5%, processing time by 12.4%, and wastewater COD by 51.8%. Furthermore, the treated fibers exhibited superior mechanical properties, with single-fiber breaking strength increasing to 16.76 cN from 13.05 cN. Physicochemical characterization confirmed effective gum removal and structural changes. FT-IR indicated removal of non-cellulosic components, SEM revealed smoother fiber surfaces, and XRD showed increased crystallinity index from 77.37% to 92.27%.

Conclusion This research successfully established a one-bath degumming and dyeing process for Apocynum venetum fiber using M-type reactive dyes. This integrated approach eliminates intermediate steps, significantly reducing resource consumption, processing time, and environmental impact. The optimized process not only ensured efficient gum removal and high dyeing quality but also remarkably improved the fiber's tensile strength. These findings were corroborated by multiple analytical techniques, confirming the effectiveness and potential of this method as a sustainable and economically viable alternative for valorizing Apocynum venetum fiber.

Objective In the process of dyeing with reactive dyes, there are problems such as easy hydrolysis of reactive groups, low fixation and dye utilization rates, and high consumption of inorganic salts. Dyeing accelerants provide an effective way to solve these problems, as they can act as bridging groups to achieve covalent bonding between hydrolyzed dyes and fibers. A double active group dyeing accelerant with quaternary ammonium cationic and epoxy groups was designed and synthesized in this article. The epoxy group in its molecular structure can undergo bonding reactions with fibers, and the quaternary ammonium salt cationic groups can form ionic bonds with hydrolyzed dyes and unfixed dyes.

Method Trimethylallyl ammonium chloride (TMAAC) and allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) were used as reaction monomers to synthesize a double active group dyeing accelerant with epoxy and quaternary ammonium salt structure through free radical polymerization reaction. The synthesis process was optimized, and the molecular structure and thermal properties of the synthesized products were characterized. Dyeing accelerant was applied to cotton fabric dyeing, using Reactive Red 3BFN, Reactive Yellow HER, and Reactive Blue RGN as the dyes. The fixation rate, apparent color yield, and color fastness were tested.

Results The conversion rate of polymerization reaction increased with the increase of monomer AGE and TMAAC mass ratio. Initiator can accelerate the generation process of free radicals, but a large amount of free radicals were triggered when the dosage of initiator is too high, leading to collisions and quenching between free radicals, which would reduce the efficiency of the polymerization reaction. The conversion rate of polymerization reaction showed an increase with the increase of reaction temperature and reaction time, but excessive polymerization temperature would lead to chain cracking and side reactions. The research result analysis revealed 80 ℃ and 6 h as the optimal reaction temperature and reaction time. Infrared spectroscopy testing showed that the allyl double bonds in TMAAC and AGE disappeared. Thermogravimetric analysis tests showed that the dyeing accelerant has good thermal stability. The starting temperature for thermal decomposition was 165.80 ℃. The maximum weight loss rate temperature was 407.33 ℃. The apparent viscosity of the dyeing promoter decreases with increasing shear rate, which is consistent with the characteristics of pseudoplastic fluids. In the frequency range of 0.1-202 rad/s, the storage modulus G' is lerger than loss modulus G", the loss coefficient tanδ is lerger than 1, the elastic effect was dominant. When the angular frequency is greater than 202 rad/s, G'<G", tanδ>1, the viscous effect was dominant.

Conclusion To solve the problems of low fixation rate and high consumption of inorganic salt in reactive dyeing, a dyeing accelerant with double active group was synthesized through free radical polymerization reaction. The optimized process condition for synthesizing dyeing accelerant was that the dosage ratio of monomer AGE and TMAAC was 1∶3, initial concentration of total monomers was 30% of the total mass of the system, initiator dosage was 0.5% of the monomer mass, reaction temperature was 80 ℃, and reaction time was 6 h. Infrared spectroscopy testing showed that the synthesized product exhibited characteristic absorption peaks of epoxy groups and quaternary ammonium salts. Thermogravimetric analysis testing showed that the dyeing accelerant had good thermal stability below 300 ℃. By using dyeing accelerant during the dyeing process, the average fixation rate had been increased by 22.6%, and the consumption of inorganic salts can be reduced by 66%. Dyeing accelerant can play a bridging role between dye molecules and fiber molecules, significantly improving dye utilization and reducing inorganic salt onsumption. It has good application prospects in the field of printing and dyeing processing.

Objective In response to the problems of weak dynamic response capability and insufficient security of traditional anti-counterfeiting technologies, this study aims to develop a new type of photochromic textile and construct a high-security dynamic authentication system suitable for smart textiles.

Method Highly stable photochromic ink was prepared by constructing a nitrobenzopyrylospiran-poly methyl methacrylate mixed solvent system. Polyester yarns of 16.67 tex were immersed, padded with 70% wet pickup, dried at 50 ℃ for 30 min, before being woven into plain fabrics. To enhance the recognizability of the anti-counterfeiting Quick Response (QR) codes, the same treated polyester yarns were used to embroider the QR codes onto the plain fabrics that were woven from the untreated polyester yarns. Characterization involved chemical structure, optical properties, air permeability testing, friction and light fastness evaluation, contact angle measurement, and ultraviolet illumination-response trials using a 365 nm lamp.

Results The photochromic textile exhibited exceptional responsiveness, achieving visible coloration within 1 s under 365 nm ultraviolet irradiation and complete decoloration within 2 min after light removal, demonstrating excellent reversibility across multiple cycles. Analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, confirmed successful ink fixation via hydrogen bonding evidenced by a broad peak near 3 300 cm^-1, aromatic C—H interactions appearing at 3 030 cm^-1, and potential C—N bond formation indicated by a shoulder peak around 1 180 cm^-1. Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy revealed that ultraviolet exposure induced a prominent absorption band at 500 nm, corresponding to a transition from white coloration to rose-red. Before irradiation, the fabric exhibited high reflectivity across 400-700 nm with CIE Lab parameters showing L^* near 100 and a^* and b^* close to zero, yielding RGB values of 235, 232, 223. After ultraviolet exposure, L^* decreased significantly while a^* rose to approximately +54 and b^* turned negative, producing RGB values of 146, 99, 141, characteristic of rose-red hues. The average air permeability of the fabric reached 145.57 mm/s with a coefficient of variation of only 6.39%, indicating uniform structure and satisfactory wearing comfort. Color fastness testing yielded ratings of 4 to 5 for both dry and wet rubbing resistance, and 3 to 4 for light fastness, confirming adequate durability for indoor applications. Continuous 12 h xenon lamp exposure demonstrated gradual absorbance decay under illumination while baseline absorbance remained stable, indicating irreversible photo-oxidation of photochromic molecules without substrate degradation, consistent with the observed light fastness rating. The textile exhibited robust hydrophobicity, with contact angles all exceeding 90° over 3 s. For anti-counterfeiting functionality, the embroidered QR code remained machine-readable only during a narrow 30 s window after ultraviolet removal, becoming undetectable within 2 min as color faded spontaneously.

Conclusion This photochromic textile system constitutes a robust platform for advanced dynamic anti-counterfeiting applications, integrating rapid optical responsivity, mechanical durability, and superior hydrophobicity. The dual-mode authentication mechanism with its narrow temporal window and non-replicable fading behavior substantially enhances security compared to static identifiers. Future research should focus on improving long-term photostability through molecular engineering, developing multi-dimensional encryption protocols, and optimizing industrial-scale inkjet printing for precise color kinetic control. This work establishes a viable technological pathway for implementing intelligent, traceable anti-counterfeiting solutions in smart wearable textiles and high-value product authentication, offering significant potential for integration with blockchain-based traceability systems.

Objective Cardiac patches can provide mechanical support to infarcted myocardium, thereby promoting myocardial repair. However, most existing myocardial patches are isotropic, which makes it difficult to match the anisotropy of native myocardium and hinders cardiac contraction. Additionally, cardiac patches are usually fixed to the heart via sutures, which may cause bleeding, secondary injury, and other complications. Therefore, developing sutureless anisotropic myocardial patches is crucial for enhancing the efficacy of myocardial repair.

Method A textile-based composite myocardial patch with both adhesive properties and anisotropy was fabricated by combining knitting, plasma treatment, and in-situ gelation techniques. Specifically, a hydroxyl-mediated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel layer was immobilized onto an oxygen plasma-modified polypropylene (PP) warp-knitted fabric, followed by in-situ crosslinking of PVA with tannic acid (TA). Regulating cross-linking time and TA concentration enabled modulation of the adhesive properties of the patch. The patch was characterized in terms of its microstructure, chemical composition, contact angle, hydrogel-monofilament interface bonding, adhesive properties, and mechanical performance.

Results After plasma treatment, the surface of PP fabric was successfully etched, exhibiting a rough morphology with significantly improved hydrophilicity. Plasma treatment had no significant impact on the fabric’s overall mechanical properties while ensuring reliable bonding between the fabric and hydrogel layer, and the fabric remained undetached from the hydrogel even after repeated tensile strain application. Owing to hydrogen bonding interactions, the hydrogel layer had a dense cross-sectional structure with small pores. As TA concentration increased, the hydrogel’s swelling ratio gradually decreased, which facilitated the patch in maintaining structural and mechanical stability in the physiological microenvironment. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed that PVA/TA hydrogel exhibited characteristic peaks of C=O stretching vibration at 1 709 cm^-1 and phenolic —OH stretching vibration at 1 313 cm^-1, confirming the successful incorporation of TA into the PVA hydrogel. In-situ cross-linking with TA significantly enhanced the tensile strength, elongation at break, and elastic modulus of the PVA/TA hydrogel. Compared with pure PVA hydrogel, the tensile strength of the cross-linked hydrogel increased from 0.15 MPa to 2.39 MPa, nearly a 16-fold improvement. The composite patch showed adhesive properties to myocardial tissue, with adhesion strength synergistically regulated by cross-linking time and TA concentration. A peak adhesion strength of 15.73 kPa was achieved at a cross-linking time of 6 h and TA concentration of 0.20 g/mL. Specifically, shorter cross-linking time and lower TA concentration led to insufficient catechol groups in the composite system, resulting in weak intermolecular interactions with tissue surface groups, whereas in contrast, longer cross-linking time and higher TA concentration caused excessive. Cross-linking, where strong hydrogen bonds formed between catechol groups and hydroxyl groups in PVA, reduced the exposure of free catechol groups and thus decreased the adhesion strength. Additionally, the patch maintained adhesive stability under various deformation conditions (e.g., stretching, bending, water flushing). The tensile elastic moduli of the patch in the transverse and longitudinal directions were 1.03 MPa and 0.49 MPa, respectively, with an anisotropy ratio of 2.1, within the range matching native myocardium (1.9-3.9). This not only provides sufficient mechanical support for infarcted myocardium but also enables the patch to conform to myocardial deformation without restricting cardiac contraction, thanks to its anisotropy matching that of native myocardium.

Conclusion A myocardial patch with anisotropy and adhesive properties was successfully fabricated via warp-knitting, plasma treatment, and in-situ gel formation. Surface morphology, chemical composition, and hydrophilicity of the patch were characterized, and the effects of process parameters on the adhesive and mechanical properties of the composite patch were investigated. The hexagonal mesh structure of the PP fabric endowed it with anisotropy matching native myocardium and sufficient strength to support cardiac contraction. Oxygen plasma treatment significantly improved the hydrophilicity of the inert PP fabric, facilitating its further functional modification. The PVA/TA gel layer provides the patch with adhesiveness, eliminating the need for suturing during epicardial implantation. The fabric and gel layer exhibit strong and secure bonding without detachment risk. Overall, this study presents a warp-knitting-based composite gel patch, offering new insights for the design and construction of anisotropic sutureless myocardial patches and the diversified applications of textile technologies.

Objective Conventional laundering consumes large amounts of water and chemicals, and the intense mechanical action frequently damages cotton garments. "Steam-wash" programmes that apply hot, moist air with almost no water have been introduced in domestic washers to remove odours and creases, yet their influence on fabric hand is still poorly quantified. This work therefore sets out to clarify how steam care changes the tactile properties of cotton textiles and to elucidate the underlying physicochemical mechanism. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of intelligent steam-ironing processes.

Method Pre-wash plain-weave cotton and terry towel fabrics were divided into three groups to receive (i) steam-washing, (ii) conventional 40 ℃ wash with softener, and (iii) normal washing as control. Fabric hand values (stiffness, softness, smoothness) were assessed with a PhabrOmeter^®, and whiteness was monitored for 30 d. To decouple moisture and thermal effects, pre-dried cotton was conditioned under varying temperature/humidity regimes. Moisture content and absorption kinetics were measured gravimetrically. Bending rigidity was determined immediately post-conditioning according to GB/T 18318.1. XRD, and FT-IR analyses tracked supramolecular structural changes, with crystallinity index (Crl) and hydrogen-bonding quantified by curve fitting.

Results It was found that steam wash reduced the stiffness of both plain-weave cotton and cotton terry towel fabrics by approximately 2% and 6%, while softness was increased by 0.4 and 3.0 units, respectively. The improvement in fabric hand due to steam wash was comparable to that obtained using liquid softener. Moreover, steam wash avoided the 2-unit whiteness loss observed with softener after 30 days of storage, demonstrating its significant advantage in preserving fabric whiteness. The stiffness of fabrics is influenced by their moisture content, which is primarily controlled by the temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment. When the ambient temperature was constant, the moisture content of the fabric demonstrated increases with the rising relative humidity (RH). Conversely, at a constant humidity level, the moisture content showed decreases as the temperature increased. Raising RH from 25% to 90% at 25 ℃ increased equilibrium moisture content from 2.3% to 8.6% and lowered crystallinity index from 80.6% to 60.5%, while the (002) crystal thickness shrank from 5.57 nm to 3.41 nm. Conversely, increasing temperature at 90% RH reduced moisture content (MC) and made the fabrics stiffer and more crystalline. When the RH was raised from 25% to 90% at 25 ℃, the equilibrium moisture content increased from 2.3% to 8.6%, the crystallinity index decreased from 80.6% to 60.5%, and the (002) crystal thickness decreased from 5.57 nm to 3.41 nm. Conversely, when the temperature was increased from 25 ℃ to 85 ℃ at 90% RH, the equilibrium moisture content (MC) decreased from 8.6% to 4.6%, and the crystallinity index increased from 60.5% to 79%. The bending rigidity of the fabric increased with the moisture content (MC) until reaching a critical point of 4.6% (w/w), beyond which it decreased sharply, and this turning point coincided with the minima in fabric crystallinity index and hydrogen bond density. FT-IR showed that the intermolecular O(6)H…O(3') bond fraction dropped by 25% as moisture content reached 8.6%, indicating water-assisted disruption of the inter-chain network. The kinetic data further showed that cotton reaches moisture equilibrium within 10 min under typical steam-cycle conditions, confirming that the observed structural changes are realistically accessible during a 20-30 min steam refresh.

Conclusion Steam wash consistently improves cotton fabric hand by differentially affecting the fiber's supramolecular structure depending on the moisture uptake level. When the moisture content exceeds a critical threshold of approximately 4.6%, water molecules penetrate the sub-crystalline regions, disrupt intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and reduce crystallite size, thereby lowering bending rigidity. This process is purely physical as no new functional groups are formed, thus preserving whiteness and fiber integrity. This study confirms that steam washing provides softness and comfort comparable to that achieved by using chemical softeners, but without additive use or color damage. It defines the target moisture content window (6%-9%) for appliance developers to optimize garment hand feel.

Objective With the development of wireless communication technology, the application of electronic devices in various scenarios has shown explosive growth, resulting in the increasingly electromagnetic radiation pollution. This not only can interfere the normal operation of electronic devices, but also seriously affect human health. Fabric-based electromagnetic shielding (EMI) material is an effective solution for protecting both the human body and sensitive electronic devices from electromagnetic radiation hazards, but traditional metalized or metal-coated EMI shielding textiles mainly rely on their high conductivity to reflect electromagnetic waves, inevitably causing secondary pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to develop high-performance EMI shielding textiles with low-reflection feature. However, according to Schelkunoff's theory, low reflectivity (R) and high shielding effectiveness (SE) exhibit the inherent incompatibility, especially on traditional textile substrates. Therefore, developing efficient EMI shielding textiles with low-reflection feature remains a huge challenge.

Method Impedance gradient structure can significantly reduce microwave reflection at the air-material interface, while enhancing energy dissipation through the "absorption-reflection-reabsorption" mechanism has been proven to be a promising solution. Herein, a NiCo₂O₄/Ni-W-P/MCSF composite fabric with Janus structure was successfully prepared by sequentially carboxyl-functionalized carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coating, localized electroless Ni-W-P plating, and hydrothermal-calcination of nickel cobalt oxide (NiCo₂O₄). The microstructure of composite fabric was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The surface resistivity and EMI shielding performance of composite fabric were tested using a multimeter and vector network analyzer. The influence of Ni-Co mass ratio on the EMI shielding performance of composite fabrics was investigated, and the modulation mechanism of Janus structure on the microwave reflection/absorption characteristics of composite fabrics was also explored.

Results Microstructure characterization confirmed that the MWCNTs coating and Ni-W-P plating on the fiber surface were dense and continuous, and the needle-like NiCo₂O₄ grows uniformly on fiber surface. Combined with cross-sectional analysis of composite fabric and individual fibers, a synergistic system with macroscopic Janus structure and microscopic fiber-radial heterostructure was successfully constructed. The results of surface resistance and EMI shielding properties showed that with the increase of Ni-Co mass ratio, a high impedance shell layer was covered on the fiber surface, resulting in an increase in surface resistance and a decrease in EMI SE value. However, the enhanced magnetic loss significantly improved the contribution for microwave absorption, achieving an absorption-dominated shielding mechanism. At an optimal Ni-Co mass ratio of 2∶3, the as-prepared NiCo₂O₄/Ni-W-P/MCSF composite fabric achieved an EMI SE of 63.14 dB within the K-band (18-26.5 GHz), coupled with an exceptionally low average R value of 0.095 (corresponding to >91% electromagnetic wave absorption), achieving the effective integration of the low reflection and high shielding properties onto a single textile substrate. Furthermore, the composite fabric also exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 152.1°) and good breathability.

Conclusion This study provides a significant reference for developing high-performance EMI shielding fabrics with low reflection and high EMI SE. The Janus structure architecture is achieved by constructing electrical-magnetic functional layers with distinct impedance characteristics on a 3-D spacer fabric substrate, and this asymmetric architecture establishes a special "absorption-reflection-reabsorption" dissipation pathway for electromagnetic waves, thereby overcoming the intrinsic incompatibility between low reflection and high shielding. The operational mechanism shows that when electromagnetic waves are incident from the NiCo₂O₄/MCSF side, the electrical/magnetic dual-functional conductive network with good impedance matching allows more electromagnetic waves penetration into the fabric interior, where the synergistic magnetic loss (from NiCo₂O₄), dielectric loss (from MWCNTs) and interface loss would attenuate the electromagnetic waves. Residual waves reaching the highly conductive NiCo₂O₄/Ni-W-P/MCSF side with severe impedance mismatch would be reflected back towards the NiCo₂O₄/MCSF side for secondary absorption. The as-prepared composite fabric exhibits great application potential for wearable electromagnetic protection.

Objective To achieve the high-value recycling of waste indigo denim and the preparation of functional materials, this study aims to clarify the role of indigo dye in the recycling process and explore a high-value technical pathway without complex decolorization. The feasibility of directly preparing functional cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) without decolorization was successfully demonstrated, providing both a theoretical basis and technical support for the recycling of waste denim.

Methods Three types of CNCs (named W-CNCs, D-CNCs, and T-CNCs) were prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis from undyed denim, waste indigo denim and waste indigo denim decolorized by N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The microstructure, physicochemical properties and thermal stability of the three CNCs were characterized by SEM, XRD, FT-IR and TGA. The films were prepared by compounding the three types of CNCs with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at different mass ratios (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, 10%), respectively. The mechanical properties, thermal stability and UV resistance of the resulting composite films were subsequently evaluated.

Results All three CNCs exhibited a rod-like morphology with no significant difference in dimensions and maintained a cellulose I crystal structure. Due to the retention of the characteristic functional groups of indigo dye, the D-CNCs suspension displayed a distinct blue color, whereas the W-CNCs and T-CNCs suspensions appeared milky white. Compared with raw cotton fibers, the thermal stability of all CNCs decreased significantly, and the presence of residual indigo dye did not markedly influence this trend. Functional analysis demonstrated that the tensile strength of the PVA composite film increased by 20.4% with the incorporation of 5% D-CNCs. When the D-CNCs content was elevated to 10%, the initial decomposition temperature of the composite film was raised by 8%. Moreover, with increasing D-CNCs loading, the transmittance of the composite film in the 200 - 400 nm UV range decreased substantially, resulting in a gradual enhancement of UV-blocking performance. Specifically, the UV absorption rates reached 96.39% and 98.5% at D-CNCs loadings of 5% and 10%, respectively.

Conclusion The residual indigo dye not only imparted distinctive chromatic properties to CNCs, but also demonstrated notable advantages in enhancing the mechanical properties, improving thermal stability, and conferring UV resistance to PVA composites. The technology proposed in this study for directly preparing functional CNCs from waste indigo denim can be extended to the field of textile waste recycling, providing low-cost raw materials for UV-resistant packaging materials and flexible composite materials. Furthermore, this study presented a viable technical pathway for the high-value recycling and reuse of waste indigo denim, offering promising environmental benefits and application prospects.

Objective Cr(VI) heavy metal pollutants are highly toxic and carcinogenic, posing a severe threat to the natural ecological environment and human life and health. Adsorption is regarded as one of the most promising methods for treating Cr(VI)-containing wastewater. Porous carbon prepared from renewable biomass resources is an excellent adsorbent, but it is difficult to separate and recover. Nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (Ni-Fe-LDH) exhibits good magnetism and favorable adsorption performance for heavy metals. Combining the two can achieve complementary advantages of the materials. Herein, a jute fabric-based porous carbon composite material with in-situ loaded nano-film Ni-Fe-LDH was developed, aiming to enhance its adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) while enabling facile magnetic separation and recovery of the material.

Method Using jute fabric as the biomass substrate, fabric-like porous carbon (PC) was prepared via a combined physical-chemical activation method. Subsequently, the Ni-Fe-LDH/PC composite with in-situ loaded Ni-Fe-LDH was obtained by the hydrothermal method. The phase composition, structure, micromorphology, specific surface area and pore size distribution of the composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm. Moreover, the effects of Ni-Fe-LDH loading amount and solution pH on the Cr(VI) adsorption performance of the composite were investigated, and its adsorption thermodynamics, kinetics, and magnetic recovery performance were clarified.

Results The combination of Ni-Fe-LDH and PC can effectively enhance their adsorption capacity for Cr(VI). With the increase of Ni-Fe-LDH loading (within the range of 10% to 150%), the adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) by the composite material continuously decreases, but it is still higher than that of pure Ni-Fe-LDH and PC. When the loading amount of Ni-Fe-LDH was set to 10% of the mass of PC, the composite material (10%Ni-Fe-LDH/PC) exhibited maximum adsorption capacity for Cr(VI). This composite not only retained the fabric structure but also was loaded with nano-film Ni-Fe-LDH, with a specific surface area of 1 070.19 m²/g. Its pore size was mainly distributed between 0.6 and 0.9 nm, showing a microporous structure. Under the conditions of initial Cr(VI) mass concentration of 50 mg/L and the composite material dosage of 0.4 g/L, 10%Ni-Fe-LDH/PC achieved the maximum adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) (up to 88.05 mg/g) when the solution pH was 2. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by this composite conformed to the Freundlich multimolecular layer heterogeneous adsorption model. Additionally, the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that the adsorption of Cr(VI) was mainly chemical adsorption. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of 10%Ni-Fe-LDH/PC for Cr(VI) was 1.47 times that of commercial powder activated carbon and 1.80 times that of the commercial granular activated carbon, and its magnetic response speed was less than 2 s.

Conclusion In this paper, jute fabric was used as the biomass substrate, and the Ni-Fe-LDH/PC composite was successfully prepared via the combined physical-chemical activation method and hydrothermal method. The composite, 10%Ni-Fe-LDH/PC, retains the fabric structure with a specific surface area up to 1 070.19 m²/g. It achieves maximum adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) (88.05 mg/g) when the solution pH is 2. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by this composite conforms to the Freundlich multimolecular layer adsorption model, and the adsorption of Cr(VI) is mainly chemical adsorption. In addition, its adsorption effect on Cr(VI) is superior to that of commercial powdered activated carbon and granular activated carbon, and it has a fast magnetic separation response speed, showing good application potential.

Objective This study aimed to address critical technical challenges in floral printed pattern style transfer, including pattern distortion, texture discontinuity, and checkerboard artifacts that commonly occur during the style transfer process. The research focused on developing an advanced style transfer model specifically designed for printed patterns to preserve structural integrity while seamlessly integrating target artistic styles, thereby enhancing creative expression capabilities and production efficiency in pattern design applications.

Method A multi-scale feature fusion neural style transfer model (MFFF-NST) based on decoupling architecture was proposed using an encoder-decoder framework, which introduced a Line Art Extraction Module(LAEM) in the content image preprocessing stage to resolve geometric deformation issues of pattern core structural features during the transfer process. The encoder incorporated three key modules, i.e., an adaptive feature extraction range adjustment module that dynamically adjusts receptive field sizes according to local pattern complexity, a shifted window attention mechanism for capturing multi-scale features, and an adaptive channel weighting module that intelligently emphasizes important feature channels while suppressing secondary ones. The decoder employed a style-aware decoder complemented by a VGG-19 convolutional network optimizer to eliminate checkerboard artifacts and enhance visual coherence in the generated images.

Results Comprehensive experiments were conducted on floral printed pattern datasets containing 5 100 images and WikiArt style datasets with 80 000 images. Comparative analysis against four representative baseline methods (STTR, WCT, S2WAT, and AdaAttN) demonstrated superior performance across all evaluation metrics. The proposed MFFF-NST achieved a structural similarity index (SSIM) of 0.758, representing an improvement of 0.117 over the best baseline method (STTR). Mean squared error (MSE) reached 0.032, reducing error by 0.016 compared to STTR, while learned perceptual image patch similarity (LPIPS) achieved 0.365, showing a reduction of 0.062. The model successfully preserved geometric boundaries and maintained symmetry properties of printed patterns while achieving uniform style distribution and eliminating checkerboard effects. Processing efficiency analysis revealed significant improvements, with training time reduced to 8 h compared to 11-14 h for baseline methods. Expert evaluation by art and design professionals confirmed superior performance in both content fidelity and style integration across different artistic styles, including pointillism portrait style, impressionist landscape style, and abstract modern art style. Ablation studies validated the effectiveness of key components, with the complete model outperforming simplified versions in all quantitative metrics.

Conclusion The proposed MFFF-NST model effectively resolves fundamental technical limitations in floral printed pattern style transfer through systematic architectural improvements. The integration of line art extraction preprocessing, adaptive feature extraction mechanisms, and style-aware decoding successfully eliminates semantic ambiguity and feature discontinuity while preserving essential structural characteristics of printed patterns. This research provides a robust technical foundation for intelligent floral printed pattern design, significantly enhancing creative expression capabilities and production efficiency in textile manufacturing. The findings contribute to the advancement of AI-driven pattern design and offer practical solutions for modern fashion industry requirements.