Concern: Black Technology In The Textile Industry Determines Where We Are Going.

01

Nanjing University of Technology:

Hydrogel scaffold inhibits hypertrophic scar

Due to increased inflammation, fibroblast proliferation and excessive collagen secretion, it is easy to form a common clinical pathological disease, hypertrophic scar (HS). Although biomimetic ECM (extracellular matrix) biomaterials have been designed for HS therapy, most materials fail to function as biological and functional in wound repair. Therefore, biomimetic scaffolds with biomolecules or drugs that inhibit scar function become the hope of scarless skin regeneration. These scaffolds can not only carry therapeutic drugs and cell signaling factors, but also provide the structure of cell proliferation. However, although the synthetic polymer scaffolds can simulate the mechanical properties of ECM, few ECM components can be simulated except collagen. In addition, the risk of immunity and allergy may limit its application in allergic constitution.

A group of researchers from Nanjing University of Technology, Chi Bo research group, has developed a multifunctional hydrogel fiber scaffold based on electrospinning and photo controlled crosslinking of gamma polyglutamic acid / ginsenoside Rg3 (GS-Rg3) for tissue repair and wound healing. Biomimetic fibrous scaffolds, under the action of adhering small peptides, promote the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, and form a tissue filled space filling substrate to repair tissue in the depressed area before the early wound closure. After continuous release of GS-Rg3, fibrous scaffolds further promote scar free wound healing. In addition, these biofunctionalized fiber scaffolds exhibit sustained GS-Rg3 release without explosive effect. Therefore, this achievement provides a good treatment for accelerating wound healing and inhibiting the formation of HS, and has potential application value in regenerative medicine and drug delivery.

02

Chinese Academy of Sciences:

Kevlar aerogel has better insulation and thermal insulation properties.

Because of the demand for warmth, lightness and functionalization of cold proof clothing, the requirement for its basic material -- warmth retaining fiber is also getting higher and higher. In 1950s, the US DuPont Co developed special-shaped fibers, which improved the gloss and fluffy properties of chemical fibers. Among the many special-shaped fibers, hollow fibers significantly improve the content of their stationary air, so the thermal properties of chemical fibers are also significantly improved. In 1970s, researchers developed microfiber, biomimetic materials made of superfine fiber and artificial leather, so that the thermal properties of chemical fibers were levelled with natural materials.

Through the study of hollow fiber and superfine fiber, it is found that the thermal insulation property of fiber material is directly proportional to the content of static air in the fiber material, and is inversely proportional to the diameter of the fiber, which is inversely proportional to the density of the whole material. Aerogel fibers are characterized by high porosity and low density. Theoretically, they are the best fibers for thermal insulation. But at the same time, high porosity also poses great challenges to its preparation.

In view of this, the Zhang Xuetong team of the Suzhou Institute of nanotechnology and nano bionics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, obtained a nanofiber dispersion by dissolving the Kevlar (Kevlar) fiber of DuPont TM, and then prepared a Kevlar aerogel fiber with high porosity (98%) and high specific surface area (240 m2/g) by wet spinning and special drying. The aerogel fiber has excellent mechanical properties and can be bent, tied, braided and so on. At the same time, it has excellent thermal insulation performance. The thermal conductivity at room temperature is only 0.027W/m. K. At low temperature, its thermal insulation performance is 2.8 times that of cotton cloth, and it can exert its thermal insulation performance for a long time at the extreme temperature of -196 ~300 C. In addition, the aerogel fiber has excellent chemical stability and can be modified by dyeing, hydrophobicity and electroless plating without damage to the main skeleton structure of aerogels. Moreover, the aerogel fiber can also be made into air-conditioned fibers by filling phase change materials. The enthalpy of the fibers can reach 162J/g, far exceeding the enthalpy of the existing commercial Outlast air conditioning fibers.

03

Washington State University:

New plant materials are expected to replace foam plastics

American researchers have developed an environment-friendly plant material that has better thermal insulation than polystyrene foam, and is expected to become an alternative material for making disposable coffee cups in the future. Recently, Washington State University reported that the environmental protection material is mainly made up of plant cellulose nanocrystals, and the manufacturing process is simple, and there is no need to use harmful solvents.

Polystyrene foam is widely used in the manufacture of disposable coffee cups and various building materials, but its raw materials usually come from non renewable energy such as petroleum. The polystyrene produced under high temperature may produce harmful components to human body, and can not be degraded naturally. Researchers tried to use plant fibers as substitutes, but their strength and thermal insulation were poor. They were easy to degrade under high temperature and high humidity.

In the new materials developed by the team of Washington State University, about 75% of the plant cellulose nanocrystals extracted from wood pulp. The researchers added another polymer material, polyvinyl alcohol, into the cellulose nanocrystals to make it a unique structure. Experiments show that its thermal insulation is better than that of polystyrene foam. The research also shows that the environment-friendly material is light in weight and can support 200 times its own weight without deformation, and can also naturally degrade. Combustion does not produce pollution fumes.

The research has been published in the web edition of carbohydrate polymers. Amir Amelie, an assistant professor at the school of mechanical and materials engineering, Washington State University, said that as a renewable material, plant cellulose nanocrystals have good thermal insulation and mechanical properties, which can save fossil energy and reduce environmental impact.

04

Beihang University:

Multi scale helical fiber bundle for tensile tissue engineering

Recently, the Zhao Yong research team of Beihang University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Guo Ming research team were inspired by the multi-scale spiral fiber structure of natural biological tissue, and designed a multi-scale helical fiber bundle through electrospinning and continuous twisting technology. This spiral fiber bundle has excellent mechanical properties and super high tensile properties. Using this structural feature, the research team used biocompatible materials to prepare artificial micro tissues with dynamic tensile stability, and studied the dynamic orientation, growth, proliferation and differentiation of cells on multi-scale helical fibers. Through mechanical stretching and three-dimensional real-time observation, the biological activity and stability of different structural fiber bundles under dynamic tensile (including stretching and bending) as scaffolds were explored.

Research shows that because of its unique helical structure, multi-scale fiber bundles are significantly better than straight fiber bundles in dynamic stretching cell activity. The multi-scale periodic topological structure of materials can not only change the physical characteristics of cells, such as cell survival rate, volume, orientation, growth and shedding, but also induce directional differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into muscle cells by regulating cell types and the transport of specific transcription factors into the nucleus. Such multi-scale helical fibrous materials are expected to be used in future tissue and organ repair substitutes, such as ligament and tendon tissue.

This study presents a universal method for the preparation of multi-scale helical fibers. This method provides a new idea for the preparation of new large strain biomaterials. By adding other active components, regulating composition and microstructure, the materials prepared are expected to be further applied in health monitoring, tissue engineering scaffold materials and other fields.

05

China Academy of Forestry Sciences:

High value utilization of resources by cellulose modification

In recent years, with the increasing attention to the shortage of petrochemical resources and environmental pollution, the use of cellulose, lignin, starch, protein and other renewable resources to prepare polymer materials has become a research hotspot. Cellulose, as the most abundant, inexpensive, biodegradable and renewable natural polymer in nature, has been widely used in daily life. Because the properties of cellulose materials are worse than those of petroleum products, it is an important way to achieve high value utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass resources and develop sustainable economy by modifying cellulose to enhance their functionality and application.

Recently, Chu Fuxiang, a researcher of the Institute of forest products and chemical industry of the Chinese Academy of forestry, focused on the use of green preparation technology to realize the high value utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass resources. Modification of cellulose was carried out. A fiber Visuki photoinitiator which could be used to initiate ATRP without metal light was prepared, and the controllable activity of the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the graft copolymer was achieved. The cellulose modified photoinitiator EC-B-Br was prepared by modifying cellulose with alpha bromo phenyl acetic acid. The initiator was then used to initiate ATRP polymerization of biomass based monomers, such as lauryl methacrylate (LMA), methacrylic acid furfuryl ester (FMA) and rosin monomer (DAGMA) respectively. The results showed that the ATRP process without metal light had better controllability, and the chain end group Br had higher fidelity. It is possible to further extend the chain extension of ATRP by metal free light, and prepare cellulose based graft copolymers with block side chains. The results provide a new method for designing a clear structure of cellulose graft copolymer and further expanding its application area.

06

Donghua University:

Super bionic materials to build multiple protective properties

Recently, Professor You Zhengwei, Professor of the Key Laboratory of fiber material modification, Donghua University, made important progress in the field of multifunctional protective materials, and put forward a new idea to build multiple protective properties in a material by using multiple reactive groups. The butane two ketoxime group with multiple reactivity at room temperature, including reversible dynamic cracking, metal coordination and photolysis, was introduced into polyurethane materials. Accordingly, a protective material with strong toughness, mechanical gradient, self repair at room temperature and fluorescent property was obtained correspondingly.

Based on the above materials, the research team has constructed a super protective membrane, which shows fast surface scratching, self repairing ability, excellent resistance to piercing of sharp objects, fluorescent anti-counterfeiting performance, and seamless bonding ability to plastic. The film is potentially applied to the protection of valuable items such as computers, cell phones, certificates, etc. This work has initially demonstrated the multiple reactivity, excellent properties and potential applications of polyoxime, and can also be further derived to obtain a series of new materials.

Through in-depth study of the coordination effect of metal ions on the above two ketoxime urethane, the research team has improved the mechanical properties of the materials, promoted the dynamic exchange reaction of oxime groups, enhanced the self repair property of the materials at room temperature, and provided a new way to solve the contradiction between the high mechanical properties and self repairing efficiency of the self-healing materials.

It is worth mentioning that the core raw materials (Ding two ketoxime and isocyanate) are cheap and easy to obtain industrial products. The polyurethane materials can be constructed by a simple one-step method, and a series of functional materials can also be introduced into other materials through reasonable design, which has broad application prospects.

07

Zhejiang University:

Flexible asbestos fiber material for emergency hemostasis

In order to solve the problem of emergency lifesaving hemostasis, Professor Fan Jie of the Department of chemistry, Zhejiang University, after two years of exploration, developed an in-situ micro loading technology to grow mesoporous zeolites onto the surface of cotton fibers, and made cotton fibers tightly bonded with zeolites through chemical bonds. The material perfectly preserves the physical and chemical properties and stability of the zeolite, and at the same time interrupts the skeleton to produce mesoporous materials, thereby greatly enhancing the adsorption of substances, and is more conducive to hemostasis. The appearance and handle of the hemostatic material are almost the same as that of ordinary fibers. It has good softness and the combination of zeolites and cotton fibers is very firm. Recently, the study was published online by the internationally renowned journal Nature communication.

"We have long been engaged in the research of zeolite hemostasis. The original zeolite hemostatic products have obvious drawbacks," Fan Jie said. The A type zeolite hemostatic agent used abroad has saved thousands of soldiers' lives during the war. However, when the product is used, water or blood will release a lot of heat, and the local temperature of the wound can reach up to 90 degrees Celsius, resulting in skin burns and wound healing. Moreover, because the existing zeolite hemostatic agent is hard inorganic powder material, it is easy to adhere to the wound and is not conducive to debridement.

According to Fan Jie, emergency hemostasis lifejacket is expected to be released in August this year. In addition, it can also create hemostatic towels, hemostatic gauze and other products, and become a protective equipment for outdoor sports, extreme sports, racing cars and other special populations. It can also be used as first-aid equipment to play a role in accidents such as wars, traffic and earthquakes.

08

4 kinds of high-performance materials to create sports shoes X-Swift

In May 15th, German Basf Inc joined hands with Longterm Concept and famous designer Gu Guoyi to build a new sports shoes X-Swift. X-Swift sets 4 innovative BASF materials into one, and is made with the latest shoe automation technology. The BASF innovation center aims to attract designers and inspire them, and turn technology into reality through technological means.

Gu Guoyi, who once designed shoes for famous brands such as Reebok and Nike, said: "X-Swift sports shoes are the perfect combination of fashion and functionality and conform to modern lifestyles. They are the best choice for consumers of multi-purpose and high-performance footwear." Longterm Concept is a shoe manufacturer based in Taiwan, China. It uses the latest automation technology to integrate 4 kinds of BASF materials into X-Swift sports shoes. Compared with the traditional shoe making process, the technology has lower cost and higher production efficiency.

The 4 BASF high performance materials used in X-Swift sports shoes are unique and complement each other, providing users with good stability and foot support: the outsole is made of Elastollan polyurethane thermoplastic polyurethane, with high grip tread pattern and maximum surface contact. The midsole uses high resilience polyurethane elastomer, which has excellent cushioning properties and durability, superior to the traditional midsole, and a special breathable inner sole supplemented by Elastopan, designed to provide support for high-performance insoles. In addition, X-Swift has adopted an innovative two piece shoe upper structure, using a sustainable synthetic leather Haptex and Freeflex made from Freeflex TPU. The joints between these materials are small, the stitches are exquisite and perfectly fit with feet, providing excellent comfort for users.

09

Environmentally friendly polyurethane synthetic materials for shoemaking

In May 10th, German Covestro company and Austria Lan Jing group introduced environment-friendly polyurethane synthetic materials for the footwear industry. The two sides complement each other in strength. Covestro is an expert on waterborne INSQIN technology and PU textile coating materials. Lan Jing group can provide unique professional height in the production of fiber and develop wood based renewable materials.

The environmental compatibility of coated textiles depends on a series of factors, such as the source of raw materials, the use of organic solvents, and the consumption of energy and water. The global warming caused by waterborne polyurethane coatings using INSQIN technology is significantly lower than that of solvent based polyurethane coatings. The TENCEL fiber produced by Lan Jing group reduced the ecological footprint of synthetic leather, mainly because it adopted a resource saving innovative recycling process.

Thomas Michaelis, director of textile and coatings at Covestro, said that the new standard of polyurethane synthetic materials applied to footwear industry is sustainable. Therefore, the cooperation between the two sides has provided innovative solutions for customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. This is also consistent with Covestro's slogan "the inspiration of material solutions from sustainable innovation".