Solution blowing spinning technology and plasma-assisted oxidation-reduction process toward green development of electrically conductive cellulose nanofibers

Solution blowing spinning of polylactate/polyvinyl alcohol/ZnO nanocomposite toward green and sustainable preparation of wound dressing nanofibrous films

The outstanding biodegradability, biocompatibility, affordability, and renewability of polylactic acid have made it a prominent biomaterial. Herein, an innovative, easy, and eco-friendly technique is used to prepare sodium polylactate (SP)-based nanofibers. Solution blowing spinning (SBS) was used to create fibrous mats of SP and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). SBS's SP nanfibers were crosslinked using an aqueous solution of calcium chloride to produce moisture-resistant calcium polylactate nanofibrous spun mats. Both of UV-visible absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to study the produced zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) to indicate a diameter of around 15-23 nm with a high intensity absorption intensity at 370 nm. New polylactate copolymer was synthesized and characterized by infrared and NMR spectroscopic techniques. In order to prepare SP/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite nanofibers, various ZnO ratios were used. The morphologies of the composite nanofibers were investigated by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer, and scanning electron microscopy. The cytotoxicity tests of the prepared mat were studied by conducting experiments with L-929 cells at various time intervals. The prepared composite SP/PVA/ZnO nanofibers were subjected to cytotoxicity tests to determine their cytocompatibility. Results showed that those with ZnO concentrations between 0.5% and 2% were found to be less harmful than those with higher concentrations. A variety of bacterial species, including Bacillus pumilus and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as Klebseilla pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, were used to test the antibacterial properties of SP/PVA/ZnO spun mats. The ZnO NPs integrated in the SP/PVA fibrous mats were responsible for their antibacterial properties. After finding the appropriate concentration of ZnO that is least harmful while yet giving a satisfactory antibacterial activity, this biomaterial might be perfect for wound dressing applications. HIGHLIGHTS: New eco-friendly biodegradable sodium polylactate (SP) copolymer was synthesized. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with a diameter of 15-23 nm were prepared. High antibacterial SP/PVA/ZnO fibers were prepared by solution blowing spinning. SP/PVA/ZnO nanofibers (180-220 nm) with various ratios of ZnO were presented. Cytotoxicity results showed that the cell viability decreases with increasing ZnO.

Extraction and Isolation of Cellulose Nanofibers from Carpet Wastes Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Approach

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are the most advanced bio-nanomaterial utilized in various applications due to their unique physical and structural properties, renewability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. It has been isolated from diverse sources including plants as well as textile wastes using different isolation techniques, such as acid hydrolysis, high-intensity ultrasonication, and steam explosion process. Here, we planned to extract and isolate CNFs from carpet wastes using a supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc.CO₂) treatment approach. The mechanism of defibrillation and defragmentation caused by Sc.CO₂ treatment was also explained. The morphological analysis of bleached fibers showed that Sc.CO₂ treatment induced several longitudinal fractions along with each fiber due to the supercritical condition of temperature and pressure. Such conditions removed th fiber’s impurities and produced more fragile fibers compared to untreated samples. The particle size analysis and Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) confirm the effect of Sc.CO₂ treatment. The average fiber length and diameter of Sc.CO₂ treated CNFs were 53.72 and 7.14 nm, respectively. In comparison, untreated samples had longer fiber length and diameter (302.87 and 97.93 nm). The Sc.CO₂-treated CNFs also had significantly higher thermal stability by more than 27% and zeta potential value of −38.9± 5.1 mV, compared to untreated CNFs (−33.1 ± 3.0 mV). The vibrational band frequency and chemical composition analysis data confirm the presence of cellulose function groups without any contamination with lignin and hemicellulose. The Sc.CO₂ treatment method is a green approach for enhancing the isolation yield of CNFs from carpet wastes and produce better quality nanocellulose for advanced applications.

Preparation of Multifunctional Plasma Cured Cellulose Fibers Coated with Photo-Induced Nanocomposite toward Self-Cleaning and Antibacterial Textiles

Multifunctional fibrous surfaces with ultraviolet protection, self-cleaning, or antibacterial activity have been highly attractive. Nanocomposites consisting of silver (AgNPs) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂ NPs) nanoparticles (Ag/TiO₂) were developed and coated onto the surface of viscose fibers employing a straightforward pad-dry-cure procedure. The morphologies and elemental compositions were evaluated by scan electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectra (FTIR), and energy-dispersion X-ray spectra (EDS). The resultant multifunctional textile materials displayed antibacterial and photo-induced catalytic properties. The photocatalyzed self-cleaning properties were investigated employing the photochemical decay of methylthioninium chloride, whereas the antibacterial properties were studied versus E. coli. The viscose fibers coated with Ag/TiO₂ nanocomposite demonstrated improved efficiency compared with viscose fibers coated with pure anatase TiO₂ nano-scaled particles.

Development of Mechanically Reliable and Transparent Photochromic Film Using Solution Blowing Spinning Technology for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications

Photochromic materials have attracted broad interest to enhance the anti-counterfeiting of commercial products. In order to develop anti-counterfeiting mechanically reliable composite materials, it is urgent to improve the engineering process of both the material and matrix. Herein, we report on the development of anti-counterfeiting mechanically reliable nanocomposites composed of rare-earth doped aluminate strontium oxide phosphor (RESA) nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized into the thermoplastic polyurethane-based nanofibrous film successfully fabricated via the simple solution blowing spinning technology. The generated photochromic film exhibits an ultraviolet-stimulated anti-counterfeiting property. Different films of different emissive properties were generated using different total contents of RESA. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to investigate the morphological properties of RESA NPs to display a particle diameter of 3-17 nm. The morphologies, compositions, optical transmittance, and mechanical performance of the produced photochromic nanofibrous films were investigated. Several analytical methods were employed, including energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry. The fibrous diameter of RESA-TPU was in the range of 200-250 nm. In order to ensure the development of transparent RESA-TPU film, RESA must be prepared in the nanosized form to allow better dispersion without agglomeration in the TPU matrix. The luminescent RESA-TPU film displayed an absorbance intensity at 367 nm and two emission intensities at 431 and 517 nm. The generated RESA-TPU films showed an enhanced hydrophobicity without negatively influencing their original appearance and mechanical properties. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet light, the transparent nanofibrous films displayed rapid and reversible photochromism to greenish-yellow without fatigue. The produced anti-counterfeiting films demonstrated stretchable, flexible, and translucent properties. As a simple sort of anti-counterfeiting substrates, the current novel photochromic film provides excellent anti-counterfeiting strength at low-cost as an efficient method to develop versatile materials with high mechanical strength to create an excellent market as well as adding economic and social values.