The global increase in population, the phenomenon of climate change, the issue of water pollution and contamination, and the inadequate management of water resources all exert heightened strain on freshwater reserves. The potential utilization of the interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) system, which utilizes photothermal conversion to generate heat on material surfaces for wastewater purification and desalination purposes, has been successfully demonstrated. Textile-material-based ISSG devices, including (woven, nonwoven, and knitted) fabrics and electrospinning membranes, exhibit distinct properties such as a rough surface texture, high porosity, significant surface area, exceptional flexibility, and robust mechanical strength. These characteristics, combined with their affordability, accessibility, and economic viability for widespread implementation, make them extremely attractive for applications in SSG. In this review, a comprehensive analysis of the emerging concepts, advancements, and applications of textile materials, such as woven, nonwoven, and knitted fabrics and electrospun membranes, in ISSG for wastewater purification and desalination is presented. We also emphasize significant obstacles and potential prospects in both theoretical investigations and real-world implementations, aiming to contribute to future advancements in the domain of textile-material-based interfacial evaporation in wastewater purification and desalination. Furthermore, the drawbacks and the challenges of ISSG systems are also highlighted.

Poly(lactic acid) has great potential in sectors where degradability is an important advantage due to its polymer nature. The medical, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries have shown interest in using PLA. To overcome the limitations of stiffness and brittleness in the polymer, researchers have conducted numerous modifications to develop fibers with improved properties. One such modification involves using plasticizing modifiers that can provide additional and desired properties. The scientific reports indicate that low-molecular-weight esters (LME) (triethyl citrate and bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate) affect the plasticization of PLA. However, the research is limited to flat structures, such as films, casts, and extruded shapes. A study was conducted to investigate the impact of esters on the process of forming, the properties, and the morphology of fibers formed through the melt-spinning method. It was found that the modified PLA required different spinning and drawing conditions compared to the unmodified polymer. DSC, FTIR, WAXD, and GPC/SEC analyses were performed for the modified fibers. Mechanical tests and morphology evaluations using SEM microscopy were also conducted. The applied plasticizers lowered the temperature of the spinning process by 40 °C, and allowed us to obtain a higher degree of crystallinity and a better tenacity at a lower draw ratio. GPC/SEC analysis confirmed that the polymer-plasticizer interaction is physical because the booth plasticizer peaks were separated in the chromatographic columns. The use of LME in fibers significantly reduces the temperature of the spinning process, which reduces production costs. Additives significantly change the production process and the structure of the fiber depending on their rate, which may affect the properties, e.g., the rate of degradation. We can master the degree of crystallinity through the variable amount of LME. The degree of crystallization of the polymers has a significant influence on polymer application.

The field of flexible electronics is undergoing an exponential evolution due to the demand of the industry for wearable devices, wireless communication devices and networks, healthcare sensing devices and the technology around the Internet of Things (IoT) framework. E-tex tiles are attracting attention from within the healthcare areas, amongst others, for providing the possibility of developing continuous patient monitoring solutions and customized devices to accommodate each patient\'s specific needs. This review paper summarizes multiple approaches investigated in the literature for wearable/flexible resonators working as antenna-based systems, sensors and filters with special attention paid to the integration to flexible materials, especially textiles. This review manuscript provides a general overview of the flexible resonators\' advantages and drawbacks, materials, fabrication techniques and processes and applications. Finally, the main challenges and future prospects of wearable resonators are discussed.

General information concerning different kinds of chemical additives used in the textile industry has been described in this paper. The properties and applications of organofunctional silanes and polysiloxanes (silicones) for chemical and physical modifications of textile materials have been reviewed, with a focus on silicone softeners, silane, and silicones-based superhydrophobic finishes and coatings on textiles composed of silicone elastomers and rubbers. The properties of textile materials modified with silanes and silicones and their practical and potential applications, mainly in the textile industry, have been discussed.

Soft robotics have substantial benefits of safety, adaptability, and cost efficiency compared to conventional rigid robotics. Textiles have applications in soft robotics either as an auxiliary material to reinforce the conventional soft material or as an active soft material. Textiles of various types and configurations have been fabricated into key components of soft robotics in adaptable formats. Despite significant advancements, the efficiency and characteristics of textile actuators in practical applications remain unsatisfactory. To address these issues, novel structural and material designs as well as new textile technologies have been introduced. Herein, we aim at giving an insight into the current state of the art in textile technology for soft robotic manufacturing. We firstly discuss the fundamental actuation mechanisms for soft robotics. We then provide a critical review on the recently developed functional textiles as reinforcements, sensors, and actuators in soft robotics. Finally, the future trends and current strategies that can be employed in textile-based actuator manufacturing process have been explored to address the critical challenges in soft robotics.

During the last decade, the utilization of chitin, and in par0ticular its deacetylated form, i.e., chitosan, for flame retardant purposes, has represented quite a novel and interesting application, very far from the established uses of this bio-sourced material. In this context, chitosan is a carbon source that can be successfully exploited, often in combination with intumescent products, in order to provide different polymer systems (namely, bulky materials, fabrics and foams) with high flame retardant (FR) features. Besides, this specific use of chitosan in flame retardance is well suited to a green and sustainable approach. This review aims to summarize the recent advances concerning the utilization of chitosan as a key component in the design of efficient flame retardant systems for different polymeric materials.

This review paper summarizes various approaches developed in the literature for antenna sensors with an emphasis on flexible solutions. The survey helps to recognize the limitations and advantages of this technology. Furthermore, it offers an overview of the main points for the development and design of flexible antenna sensors from the selection of the materials to the framing of the antenna including the different scenario applications. With regard to wearable antenna sensors deployment, a review of the textile materials that have been employed is also presented. Several examples related to human body applications of flexible antenna sensors such as the detection of NaCl and sugar solutions, blood and bodily variables such as temperature, strain, and finger postures are also presented. Future investigation directions and research challenges are proposed.

This paper presents the measurement results of the thermal insulation of the outer shell, thermal inserts, and clothing systems, as well as a comparative analysis of the thermal insulation of multi-layer thermal inserts in a thermal jacket intended for professional services in cold weather. Detachable thermal inserts are made of double-faced, diamond-shaped quilted lining with different masses per unit area, and together with the jacket, they form clothing systems with different thermal properties. Tests of the thermal properties of clothing were performed on a thermal manikin. They showed that an increase in the mass of thermal insulation textile materials contributes to an increase in the thermal insulation properties of clothing and are insufficient for a complete analysis of the thermal properties of clothing. Therefore, for the first time, three new parameters of integration efficiency of the thermal insert, thermal insulation efficiency parameters, and efficiency parameters of the integration of the textile material integrated into the clothing system were introduced. Based on these parameters, it is possible to perform an effective and accurate comparative analysis of the thermal insulation of multi-layer thermal inserts in clothing. This makes it possible to apply exact scientific methods largely in the technical design of the thermal properties of integrated textile materials, instead of experience-based methods as in the past.

The aim of the study was the combination of two measurement methods, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared thermography to evaluate thermal performance of woven and knitted fabrics coated with acrylic pastes containing 20% (P/20) and 40% (P/40) of microcapsules of phase change materials (MPCM) with transition temperatures of 28 °C (MPCM28) and 43 °C (MPCM43). The DSC analysis showed that the phase transition processes for materials modified with pastes P/20 occur in a narrower temperature range than those modified with P/40 pastes. The initial temperatures TOnset (S-S) and TOnset (S-L) are higher for materials modified respectively with pastes P/20 and P/40. The melting and crystallization enthalpy values of both P/20 coated materials are lower by about 45% and 35% compared to P/40. Infrared thermography analysis showed that materials modified with P/20 are heating up faster than modified with P/40 for both MPCM. In the cooling process for modified fabrics the highest temperature decrease was observed in the first 30s. Materials modified with paste P/40 were cooled more slowly in comparison with paste P/20, both for MPCM28 and MPCM43.

In our day to day life, the environmental conditions, and especially the temperature and humidity of the air that surrounds us, go unnoticed. However, in many cases, these parameters play an important role in the use of materials since they modify their electrical properties. It is necessary to predict what this behaviour will be as these environmental conditions can introduce or improve desirable properties in the material, especially of textiles. The nature of these is to be dielectric, and therefore have a minimal DC electrical conductivity that is currently impossible to measure directly, so a methodology has been proposed to obtain the DC electrical resistivity through the method of discharging a condenser. For this purpose, a system was developed based on a static voltmeter, a climatic chamber and a control and data capture units. In order to validate the proposed system and methodology a study using both is described in this work. The study made it possible to verify that the most influential factor in establishing the values of the electrical parameters of a textile material is the nature of the fibres of which it is composed, although the influence of environmental conditions in fibres is also significant.