RESUMO
Minimizing the impact of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) holds paramount importance in safeguarding individuals who frequently utilize electrical and electronic devices. Electrically conductive textiles, which possess specialized EMR shielding features, present a promising solution to mitigate the risks related to EMR. Furthermore, these textile-based shielding materials could find application as radar-absorbing materials in stealth technology, emphasizing the need for substantial absorption capabilities in shielding mechanisms. In this study, various textile-based materials with an electrically conductive coating that contain the conjugated polymer system poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) were prepared and investigated. The influence of the textile substrate structural parameters, coating deposit, and coating method on their microwave properties-transmission, reflection, and absorption-was investigated. Reflection and transmission measurements were conducted within a frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz. These measurements revealed that, for the tested samples, the shielding properties are determined by the combined effect of reflection and absorption. However, the role of these two parameters varies across the tested frequency range. It was defined that for fabrics coated on one side, better reflection reduction is obtained when the shielding effectiveness (SE) is below |20| dB. It was found that by controlling the coating deposition on the fabric, it is possible to fine-tune the electrical properties to a certain extent, thereby influencing the microwave properties of the coated fabrics. The studies of prepared samples have shown that reflection and transmission parameters depend not only on the type and quantity of conductive paste applied to the fabric but also on the fabric's construction parameters and the coating technique used. It was found that the denser the substrate used for coating, the more conductive paste solidifies on the surface, forming a thicker coat on the top. For conductive fabrics with the same substrate to achieve a particular SE value using the knife-over-roll coating technology, the required coating deposit amount is considerably lower as compared with the deposit necessary in the case of screen printing: for the knife-over-roll-coated sample to reach SE 15 dB, the required deposit is approximately 14 g/m2; meanwhile, for a sample coated via screen printing, this amount rises to 23 g/m2.
RESUMO
The way to improve the properties (resistance to washing, delamination, and rubbing off) of the PEDOT:PSS coating applied on wool fabric without reduction of its electrical conductivity by introducing a commercially available combination of low formaldehyde content melamine resins into the printing paste is presented in this paper. Primarily, to improve the hydrophilicity and dyeability of wool fabric, the samples were modified using low-pressure nitrogen (N2) gas plasma. Two commercially available PEDOT:PSS dispersions were used to treat wool fabric by the exhaust dyeing and screen printing methods, respectively. Spectrophotometric measurements of the color difference (ΔE*ab) and visual evaluation of woolen fabric dyed and printed with PEDOT:PSS in different shades of the blue color showed that the sample modified with N2 plasma obtained a more intense color compared to the unmodified one. SEM was used to examine the surface morphology and a cross-sectional view of wool fabric that had undergone various modifications. SEM image shows that the dye penetrates deeper into the wool fabric after plasma modification using dyeing and coating methods with a PEDOT:PSS polymer. In addition, with a Tubicoat fixing agent, HT coating looks more homogeneous and uniform. The chemical structure spectra of wool fabrics coated with PEDOT:PSS were investigated using FTIR-ATR characterization. The influence of melamine formaldehyde resins on the electrical properties, resistance to washing, and mechanical effects of PEDOT:PSS treated wool fabric was also evaluated. The resistivity measurement of the samples containing melamine-formaldehyde resins as an additive did not show a significant decrease in electrical conductivity, while the electrical conductivity was maintained after the washing and rubbing test as well. The best results of electrical conductivity for investigated wool fabrics before and after washing and mechanical action were determined for samples subjected to the combined processing-surface modification by low-pressure N2 plasma, dyeing by exhaust with PEDOT:PSS, and coating by the screen-printing method of PEDOT:PSS and a 3 wt.% melamine formaldehyde resins mixture.
RESUMO
This study presents the effect of non-thermal plasma modification on the changes of surface morphology, color characteristics and electrical conductivity of wool fabric dyed with intrinsically conductive polymer (ICP) poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS). The wool fabric was treated with an aqueous dispersion of PEDOT: PSS, Clevios F ET, providing electrically conductive properties to textiles. The wool fabric, containing basic groups of amines (NH2), was pre-activated with low-pressure plasma of non-polymer forming nitrogen (N2) gas before exhaust dyeing with PEDOT: PSS at 90 °C was applied. This treatment imparted hydrophilicity, reduced felting, increased adhesion, improved dye ability and ensured that more PEDOT: PSS negatively charged sulfonate (-SO3-) counter ions would be electrostatically bounded with the cationic protonated amine groups of the wool fiber. Initially, before (N2) plasma treatment and after fabrics were evaluated according to the test method for aqueous liquid repellency, the surface morphology of the plasma-modified and -unmodified wool dyed fabric was observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The functional groups introduced onto the surface after N2 gas plasma treatment of wool fabric were characterized by X-ray photoelectron and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. The results of color difference measurements show that N2 gas plasma treatments provide more intense color on Clevios F ET dyed wool fabric and retain its electrical conductivity.
RESUMO
Phase changing materials (PCMs) microcapsules MPCM32D, consisting of a polymeric melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin shell surrounding a paraffin core (melting point: 30-32 °C), have been modified by introducing thermally conductive additives on their outer shell surface. As additives, multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxyoxythiophene) poly (styrene sulphonate) (PEDOT: PSS) were used in different parts by weight (1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 10 wt.%). The main aim of this modification-to enhance the thermal performance of the microencapsulated PCMs intended for textile applications. The morphologic analysis of the newly formed coating of MWCNTs or PEDOT: PSS microcapsules shell was observed by SEM. The heat storage and release capacity were evaluated by changing microcapsules MPCM32D shell modification. In order to evaluate the influence of the modified MF outer shell on the thermal properties of paraffin PCM, a thermal conductivity coefficient (λ) of these unmodified and shell-modified microcapsules was also measured by the comparative method. Based on the identified optimal parameters of the thermal performance of the tested PCM microcapsules, a 3D warp-knitted spacer fabric from PET was treated with a composition containing 5 wt.% MWCNTs or 5 wt.% PEDOT: PSS shell-modified microcapsules MPCM32D and acrylic resin binder. To assess the dynamic thermal behaviour of the treated fabric samples, an IR heating source and IR camera were used. The fabric with 5 wt.% MWCNTs or 5 wt.% PEDOT: PSS in shell-modified paraffin microcapsules MPCM32D revealed much faster heating and significantly slower cooling compared to the fabric treated with the unmodified ones. The thermal conductivity of the investigated fabric samples with modified microcapsules MPCM32D has been improved in comparison to the fabric samples with unmodified ones. That confirms the positive influence of using thermally conductive enhancing additives for the heat transfer rate within the textile sample containing these modified paraffin PCM microcapsules.
RESUMO
This study presents the investigation of the electromagnetic properties and resistance performance of electrically conductive fabrics coated with composition containing the conjugated polymer system poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The developed fabrics were intended for electromagnetic radiation (EMR) shielding in microwave range and for absorbing microwaves in radar operating range, so as to act as radar absorbing materials (RAM). The measurements of reflection and transmission of the developed fabrics were performed in a frequency range of 2-18 GHz, which covers the defined frequencies relevant to the application. Four types of fabrics with different fiber composition (polyamide; polyamide/cotton; wool and para-aramid/viscose) were selected and coated with conductive paste using screen printing method. It was found that EMR shielding effectiveness (SE) as well as absorption properties depend not only the amount of conductive paste topped on the fabric, but also resides in the construction parameters of fabrics. Depending on such fabric structural parameters as density, mass per unit area, type of weave, a layer of shield (or coating) just sticks on the fabric surface or penetrates into fabric, changing the shield thickness and herewith turning SE results. Meanwhile, the fiber composition of fabrics influences mostly bonding between fibers and polymer coating. To improve the resistance performance of the developed samples, a conventional textile surface modification technique, atmospheric plasma treatment, was applied. Initially, before plasma treatment and after treatment the fabrics were evaluated regarding an aqueous liquid repellency test, measuring the contact angles for the water solvent. The influence of plasma treatment on resistance performance of coated fabrics was evaluated by subjecting the plasma treated samples and untreated samples to abrasion in the Martindale abrasion apparatus and to multiplex washing cycles. These investigations revealed that applied plasma treatment visibly improved abrasion resistance as a result of better adhesion of the coating. However, washing resistance increased not so considerably.
RESUMO
The purpose of this study is to investigate the thermoregulatory properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 3D knitted materials with bioceramic additives which are highly absorbing far-infrared (FIR) radiation. Ceramic materials are well-known and useful for thermal insulation applications. In order to compare different types of ceramic additives and coating methods for their incorporation into textile, several types of ceramic compounds with heat-retaining function were selected: germanium (Ge), aluminum (Al) and silicon (Si) additives were applied by impregnation in squeezing padder and titanium (Ti) by the screen printing method. The thermoregulatory properties (thermal resistance, heat-retaining effectiveness and air permeability) of 3D PET knits with bioceramic additives were estimated. In this study scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to analyze the morphology of coated fabrics, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) analysis was applied to evaluate the number of minerals with high heat capacity in each formulation used for treatment. The knits coated with a formulation containing Ti ceramic additives demonstrated the most effective thermal behavior. Furthermore, better heat accumulation effectiveness of Ti ceramics containing knits was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. It was also determined that 3D knitted fabric with Ti ceramic additives showed the highest emissivity among tested samples and the implication is that this sample radiates its energy more efficiently than others.