Intelligent Textiles as Protection against PAH Toxins

High Market Potential for Intelligent Textiles Expected

28-Sep-2023 - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) are considered harmful to health, especially as potential carcinogens. For example, the molecular compounds of carbon and hydrogen atoms can arise in house fires when mattresses, curtains, wooden beams, plastic, or other objects made of organic materials ...

Disposable masks could be used to improve concrete

Mixture using mask materials was 47% stronger than commonly used cement

02-May-2022 - With the pervasive single-use masks during the pandemic now presenting an environmental problem, researchers have demonstrated the idea of incorporating old masks into a cement mixture to create stronger, more durable concrete. In a paper published in the journal,Materials Letters,a Washington ...

Breakthrough application of moisture-trapping film to reduce heat stress in personal protective suits

New composite film brings down the heat index or ‘felt air temperature’ by about 40%

29-Mar-2022 - A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a novel super-hygroscopic material that enhances sweat evaporation within a personal protective suit, to create a cooling effect for better thermal comfort for users such as healthcare workers and other frontline ...

Smart materials generate electricity and support temperature regulation through cooling

Next generation textiles

10-Jan-2022 - Researchers at Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Jena, Germany, are developing a self-sufficient energy supply based on textiles. In this way, it should be even easier in the future to supply mobile electronic devices worn close to the body with energy, even when no external power ...

A rare feat: Material protects against both biological and chemical threats

Versatile fabric is effective against virus that causes COVID-19

12-Oct-2021 - A Northwestern University research team has developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and chemical threats, such as those used in chemical warfare. A material that is effective against both classes of ...

Fireproof and comfortable

A new chemical process developed by Empa turns cotton into a fire-resistant fabric, that nevertheless retains the skin-friendly properties of cotton

20-Sep-2021 - State-of-the-art flame retardant cotton textiles suffer from release of formaldehyde and are uncomfortable to wear. Empa scientists managed to circumvent this problem by creating a physically and chemically independent network of flame retardants inside the fibers. This approach retains the ...

Shaking off fluorochemicals from outdoor and protective clothing

Most treated clothing over-engineered for consumer purposes

31-Jan-2019 - Rain-repelling fluorochemicals used in waterproof clothing can and should be phased out as unnecessary and environmentally harmful, textile researchers argue. And yet they remain the only effective option for medics and emergency service personnel. New research demonstrates how waterproofs using ...

New fabric coating could thwart chemical weapons, save lives

08-Jun-2017 - Chemical weapons are nightmarish. In a millisecond, they can kill hundreds, if not thousands. But, in a study, scientists report that they have developed a way to adhere a lightweight coating onto fabrics that is capable of neutralizing a subclass of these toxins -- those that are delivered ...

Graphene, the wonder material, goes textile

Surface coating sets new standards for personal protective equipment (PPE)

10-Mar-2015 - What does a graphite or lead pencil have to do with a spectacular discovery in the world of materials research? Graphene is a single layer of carbon just one atom thick, in the form of a honeycomb lattice made up of hexagons. This layer, just a few nanometres thick, can only be seen under a ...

High-strengh materials from the pressure cooker

A surprise in materials chemistry: At Vienna University of Technology, materials for lightweight construction, protective clothing or sports equipment can be produced at high temperatures and high pressures.

19-Mar-2014 - The earth’s crust works like a pressure cooker. Minerals typically do not form under standard conditions, but at high temperatures and pressures. However, an environment of extreme heat and pressure has been considered to be absolutely unsuitable for organic molecules. Scientists at Vienna ...