Application status of nanotechnology in the textile industry
Sep 02, 2019
Fibers having a diameter of 100 to 500 nm are generally regarded as nanofibers. Strictly speaking, nanofibers are non-woven fabrics of sub-micron fibers. According to the end use, including biodegradable polymers, electronic fiber can be used to make nanofiber mesh. Due to the advantages of large specific surface area, flexibility, gas permeability, microporous structure, light weight, high Young's modulus and good functionality, nano-fiber products have been successfully applied in batches. Such as filters, lining layers for chemically resistant fabrics, tissue scaffolds and some cutting-edge engineering applications.
The Natick Military Center in the United States collaborates with government, industry, and universities to explore the practical applications of nanofibers and nanoparticulate materials in protective clothing, such as electrospun fabrics of thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethanes, which have good performance; For further processing or processing, the strength is higher. The current experiments and developments focus on functional melt-blown and electrospinning; mixing nano-scale aluminum and titanium materials into mesh materials, and other methods, adding reactive compounds to the fabric to obtain self-decontamination performance.
Donaldson Company of the United States has been engaged in the application research of nanofiber web biomedicine field for more than 20 years. In 1981, UltraWeb nanofiber filter equipment was industrialized and expanded to new applications, such as nanofiber cell culture materials and barrier smoke garments. In 2002, Donaldson established a new team to develop a three-dimensional cell culture medium that mimics the in vivo extracellular matrix (ECM) biodegradable nanoweb, which can be used as a tissue scaffold because it is similar to the extracellular matrix. Such scaffolds bring cells closer together and grow into a three-dimensional organization. The key factors are mechanical stability, bio-coordination, cell proliferation and cell interaction.
Recently, there has been great interest in nano-spun fused fibers. Hills has successfully produced 250 nm diameter homogenized melt-spinning island-type microfibers and successfully used the island sea molding method to make 300 nm diameter nanotubes. With a thickness of 50-100 nm, Hills' tube fiber can be used to defend against chemical weapons, drug release, micron filtration and micron-scale hydraulics (hydraulics).
The Japanese power company (NEC) laboratory Sumio Ijima successfully developed a multi-layered carbon nanotube in 1991, which is characterized by light weight, high strength, electrical properties and heat resistance. Scientists at the NanoTech Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) collaborated with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia to add multi-layered carbon nanotubes to the spinning process for high strength, toughness, extreme softness and electrical conductivity. The heat transfer yarn can be made into "smart" clothing, storing electric energy, bulletproof, temperature-controlled, porous, and very comfortable to wear.
