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Polymers
Special Issues
Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials
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Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2021) | Viewed by 26107

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jinlian Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: smart polymers; shape memory fibers; textiles; apparel; composites; digital evaluation; testing devices; textile engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shanshan Zhu

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Institute of Advanced Integration Technology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
Interests: flow-induced crystallization of polymer, shape/stress memory polymer, polymer rheology, artificial muscle

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is jointly supported by The Fiber Society’s Spring 2019 Conference “Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials: Science, Technology, Fashion, and New Applications” held in Hong Kong, May 21–23, 2019. Fibre materials including natural organic and inorganic fibres as well as synthetic fibres have significant potential in many areas due to their structures and large length-to-diameter ratio. Natural fibres like cotton or wool have excellent moisture adsorption; inorganic fibres like asbestos or glass fibres are always used as high temperature-resistant materials; and synthetic fibres can be produced with other outstanding properties like high modulus, chemical-resistance, inflaming retarding, and so on.  Traditionally, we have studied these fibres mainly for textiles and their processing; many details of their structural features, their functional behaviour, and their physics may be restricted. With advancements in biological, nano, functional, smart, life sciences, and technologies, as requirements for sustainability, healthcare, wearables, and individuality in society, fibrous materials from atomic, molecular, and polymer assembly levels and composites can be understood from many different angles, which can lead to tremendous opportunities in this area of study and applications.  

This Special Issue aims to highlight outstanding work in the advancement of scientific knowledge pertaining to fibers, fiber-based materials, and fibrous materials as well as their applications. We invite original papers and reviews reporting on but not limited to recent progress in the following areas:

  • New and advanced fibers;
  • Natural fibers and their discoveries and applications;
  • Fibrous materials and new fashion;
  • Fibrous materials for emerging applications;
  • Technologies for fibrous materials and their applications;
  • Education in fibers, and fibrous materials and their applications;
  • Sustainability in fibers and their applications;
  • Supply chain dynamics of fibers and fibrous materials.

Prof. Dr. Jinlian Hu
Dr. Shanshan Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Fiber
  • Fibrous materials
  • Cellulose
  • Cellulose derivatives
  • Cellulose fibers
  • Proteins
  • Protein derivatives
  • Protein fibers
  • Synthetic fibers
  • Bio-based
  • Optical fibers
  • Inorganic fibers
  • Filtration
  • Sensors
  • Actuators
  • Energy storage
  • Polymers
  • Wearables
  • Health
  • Sensuality
  • Nano
  • Micro
  • High performance
  • Functional
  • Adaptive
  • Smart
  • Composite

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 2291 KiB  
Article
Robust Effects of Graphene Oxide on Polyurethane/Tourmaline Nanocomposite Fiber
by Yuanchi Zhang and Jinlian Hu
Polymers 2021, 13(1), 16; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13010016 - 23 Dec 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2669
Abstract
The use of energy therapy including tourmaline/negative ions has gained huge popularity due to their long-standing historical evidence in improving human health and the technology development. However, the limitations of tourmaline based polyurethane fibers including the unsatisfied mechanical properties and negative ions releasing [...] Read more.
The use of energy therapy including tourmaline/negative ions has gained huge popularity due to their long-standing historical evidence in improving human health and the technology development. However, the limitations of tourmaline based polyurethane fibers including the unsatisfied mechanical properties and negative ions releasing performances hind their further applications for wearable energy therapy. In this study, graphene oxide was modified within the polyurethane/tourmaline nanocomposite and then the wet-spinning method was used to prepare the fibers. As expected, the results proved that polyurethane/tourmaline/graphene oxide fiber had enhanced Young’s modulus (8.4 MPa) and tensile stain at break (335%). In addition, the number of released negative ions from polyurethane/tourmaline/graphene oxide fiber was significantly improved 17 times and 1.6 times more than that of neat polyurethane fiber and polyurethane/tourmaline fiber, respectively. Moreover, the releasing number of negative ions was significantly decreased after being applying voltage. We envision that the proposed polyurethane/tourmaline/graphene oxide fiber will provide valuable insights into the development of the wearable energy products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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10 pages, 3527 KiB  
Article
Multi-Modal Contractive Forces of Wools as Actuator
by Shanshan Zhu and Jinlian Hu
Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1464; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12071464 - 30 Jun 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3436
Abstract
Wool has a long history of use in textiles throughout human civilization. Many smart functions such as reversible shape changes to various stimuli have been demonstrated in the last few years. However, the force-related characteristics are still imperfectly recognized, although they are expected [...] Read more.
Wool has a long history of use in textiles throughout human civilization. Many smart functions such as reversible shape changes to various stimuli have been demonstrated in the last few years. However, the force-related characteristics are still imperfectly recognized, although they are expected to be used as actuators due to their biological origins and broad applications. Herein, we investigated the feasibility of wools in performing actuating ability through its intrinsic structures and fabrication methods. The diverse modes of contractive forces were obtained in wool materials including platform-like, double-peak, and slope-like shapes, where a molecular model was also presented to trace the origins of stress evolution. After that, a polymeric blend was created to modify the wool materials and a dissimilar performance of stress production was achieved, a square stress mode with stable manner and maintenance, for broad applications in a more efficient way. It is believed that these actuating properties extracted from natural hairs have a large potential in current smart applications and lay down new inspiration in designing actuators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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13 pages, 5522 KiB  
Article
Effect of Weaving Structures on the Water Wicking–Evaporating Behavior of Woven Fabrics
by Min Lei, Yuling Li, Yanping Liu, Yanxue Ma, Longdi Cheng and Yue Hu
Polymers 2020, 12(2), 422; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12020422 - 12 Feb 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5446
Abstract
Water transfer through porous textiles consists of two sequential processes: synchronous wicking–evaporating and evaporating alone. In this work we set out to identify the main structural parameters affecting the water transfer process of cotton fabrics. Eight woven fabrics with different floats were produced. [...] Read more.
Water transfer through porous textiles consists of two sequential processes: synchronous wicking–evaporating and evaporating alone. In this work we set out to identify the main structural parameters affecting the water transfer process of cotton fabrics. Eight woven fabrics with different floats were produced. The fabrics were evaluated on a specially designed instrument capable of measuring the water loss through a vertical wicking process. Each test took 120 min, and two phases were defined: Phase I for the first 10 min and Phase II for the last 110 min according to wicking behavior transition. Principal components and multivariate statistical methods were utilized to analyze the data collected. The results showed that Phase I dominated the whole wicking–evaporating process, and the moisture transfer speed in this phase varied with fabric structure, whereas the moisture transfer speeds in Phase II were similar and constant regardless of fabric structure. In addition, fabric with more floats has high water transfer speed in Phase I due to its loosened structure with more macropores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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10 pages, 6875 KiB  
Article
Isocyanate Modified GO Shape-Memory Polyurethane Composite
by Yuanchi Zhang and Jinlian Hu
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 118; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12010118 - 05 Jan 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3871
Abstract
Shape-memory composites have benefits for minimally invasive surgery, but their wider applications for bone repair are hindered by conflicts between the mechanical and memory performances, especially at load-bearing locations. In this study, we fabricated a graphene oxide shape-memory polyurethane composite through the chemical [...] Read more.
Shape-memory composites have benefits for minimally invasive surgery, but their wider applications for bone repair are hindered by conflicts between the mechanical and memory performances, especially at load-bearing locations. In this study, we fabricated a graphene oxide shape-memory polyurethane composite through the chemical combination of graphene oxide and isocyanate, in order to realize satisfactory mechanical and shape-memory effects. As desired, a modulus of ~339 MPa and a shape recovery ratio of 98% were achieved, respectively, in the composite. In addition, finite element analysis demonstrated that, after being implanted in a defective bone through a minimally invasive treatment, where the highest stress was distributed at the implant–bone interface, this composite could offer a generated force during the recovery process. Furthermore, we also discuss the origins of the improved mechanical and memory properties of the composites, which arise from increased net-points and the stable molecular structure inside. Therefore, with its superior structure and properties, we envision that this shape-memory composite can provide new insights toward the practical application of shape-memory polymers and composites in the field of bone repair. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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16 pages, 7128 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and Characterization of Wrapped Metal Yarns-based Fabric Temperature Sensors
by Qian Yang, Xi Wang, Xin Ding and Qiao Li
Polymers 2019, 11(10), 1549; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym11101549 - 23 Sep 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3041
Abstract
Textile temperature sensors are highly in demanded keep a real-time and accurate track of human body temperature for identification of healthy conditions or clinical diagnosis. Among various materials for textile temperature sensors, temperature-sensitive metal fibers have highest precision. However, those metal fibers are [...] Read more.
Textile temperature sensors are highly in demanded keep a real-time and accurate track of human body temperature for identification of healthy conditions or clinical diagnosis. Among various materials for textile temperature sensors, temperature-sensitive metal fibers have highest precision. However, those metal fibers are mechanically too weak, and break constantly during the weaving process. To enhance the mechanical strength of the metal fibers, this paper proposes to make wrapped metal fibers using wrapping technology, and characterize the effect of wrapped metal yarns on both mechanical properties and sensing behaviors. The wrapped yarns were woven into fabrics, forming the fabric temperature sensors. Results show that strength and maximum strain of the wrapped yarns are 2.69 and 1.82 times of pure Pt fibers. The response time of fabric temperature sensors using wrapped yarns was observed as 0.78 s and 1.1 s longer compared to that using Pt fibers when front and back sides contacted heat source, respectively. It is recommended that the wrapping method should be implemented for the protection of Pt fibers in fabric temperature sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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Review

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26 pages, 2180 KiB  
Review
Closing the Loop with Keratin-Rich Fibrous Materials
by Simona Perța-Crișan, Claudiu Ștefan Ursachi, Simona Gavrilaș, Florin Oancea and Florentina-Daniela Munteanu
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1896; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13111896 - 07 Jun 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6702
Abstract
One of the agro-industry’s side streams that is widely met is the-keratin rich fibrous material that is becoming a waste product without valorization. Its management as a waste is costly, as the incineration of this type of waste constitutes high environmental concern. Considering [...] Read more.
One of the agro-industry’s side streams that is widely met is the-keratin rich fibrous material that is becoming a waste product without valorization. Its management as a waste is costly, as the incineration of this type of waste constitutes high environmental concern. Considering these facts, the keratin-rich waste can be considered as a treasure for the producers interested in the valorization of such slowly-biodegradable by-products. As keratin is a protein that needs harsh conditions for its degradation, and that in most of the cases its constitutive amino acids are destroyed, we review new extraction methods that are eco-friendly and cost-effective. The chemical and enzymatic extractions of keratin are compared and the optimization of the extraction conditions at the lab scale is considered. In this study, there are also considered the potential applications of the extracted keratin as well as the reuse of the by-products obtained during the extraction processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renaissance of Fibers and Fibrous Materials)
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