Standardization of sterilization regimes for textile materials under pandemic conditions (COVID-19) by the method of ionizing radiation

Methods for sterilizing textile materials in a pandemic (COVID-19) and the disadvantages of these methods are presented. A number of modern scientific works related to the sterilization of textile materials in a pandemic are considered, aimed at developing a technology for sterilizing protective medical masks and medical suits by radiation methods using gamma radiation. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the use of gamma radiation is a very dangerous technological process since natural sources are used - gamma rays, radiation technologies with gamma radiation are difficult when disposing of spent energy sources and are not easy to maintain. For sterilization of textile materials, the method of ionizing radiation is proposed. The essence of the method is that the textile material is sterilized by accelerated electrons. The expediency of carrying out theoretical and experimental research has been determined. It was found that the main criterion for sterilization of textile materials is the absorbed dose. The absorbed dose is determined experimentally, but such a procedure is time-consuming and resource-intensive, and it is not always possible to carry it out. Therefore, to calculate the absorbed dose, it is proposed to apply the mathematical formula of the absorbed dose of medical textile materials, depending on the frequency of passage of pulses of the accelerated electron beam, conveyor speed and geometric parameters of textile materials, the mathematical formula will allow finding the optimal technological modes of the sterilization process. Using the mathematical model of the absorbed dose of radiation by the material with the proposed technology, taking into account the properties of materials, it is possible to calculate the modes of irradiation of various textile materials that differ in size, shape, and physical properties, which will make it possible to develop a system of normative modes for the technology of radiation-physical sterilization and to ensure the legislative and regulatory requirements of hygiene in conditions of a pandemic.

Characterization of a natural surfactant from an essential oil from neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) for textile industry applications

Surfactants are multipurpose active compounds and are ubiquitously present in detergents. Detergent demand spiked due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, further alerting to the need to replace petrochemical synthetic surfactants with natural and renewable surfactants to mitigate further environmental damage. The neem tree ( Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is a fast-growing tree that provides a multitude of commodities, namely neem oil. Neem oil possesses insecticidal and medicinal activity. This work reports the extraction and characterization of a surfactant from neem oil (SNO), displaying a yield of approximately 100%. SNO exhibited suitable detergent characteristics with a high potential to be used as a cleansing agent for textile applications, such as high pH value (10.1), suitable foaming of 1.5 cm and a critical micelle concentration of nearly 0.12 g mL−1. In addition, SNO showed a moderate bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus, both common nosocomial pathogens. Therefore, SNO has a good potential to be used in medical textile applications due to its detergent and bactericidal properties. Finally, an economical overview of the SNO production process was assessed, underscoring its viability.

Sustainable Finishes for Healthcare Apparels

The conventional textile finishing process used to consume a high amount of water, chemical and energy source which leads to more hazardous waste material and polluting the environment. To replace these conventional methods, working towards sustainable manufacturing is more consideration for the need of an hour. In the field of medical textile, the finishes used for manufacturing the health care apparels should enhance the desired properties that the patient and the health care personals need. For this purpose, the advanced and eco-friendly finishing process has been developed. Thus in this paper, the sustainable and eco-friendly finishing process used in the field of medical textile has been discussed in detail.

Investigation of poly(lactic acid) nanocapsules containing the plant extract via coaxial electrospraying method for functional nonwoven applications

This study focuses on the development of functional nanocapsules via the coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization (electrospraying) method. These nanocapsules can manipulate nonwoven surface functionality in terms of antibacterial characteristics for medical textile purposes. Electrosprayed nanocapsules were produced from Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer and Plumbago europaea plant extract. Here, we employ optimized solution and process parameters (needle to collector distance, electrical field, application time, and needle dimension) for the coaxial electrospraying process. Different Plumbago europaea extract concentrations and co-fluids’ flow rates were investigated as part of the study. Also, the effect of these parameters on capsule morphology and dimension were investigated. After the formation of PLA nanocapsules, morphological and dimensional characteristics were analyzed through SEM, FESEM, TEM images in addition to FTIR and nanosize measurements. According to our findings, a lower co-fluids’ flow rate gives the smaller nanocapsules with narrow-sized distribution and desired spherical morphology. Antibacterial efficiency doesn’t show any significant difference except the lowest plant extract concentrations. After characterizing the nanocapsules’ structures, the core-sheath structure can be clearly identified. Consequently, the desired capsule morphology and size for nanocapsules were accomplished. The antibacterial efficiency of covered surfaces with nanocapsules is up to 80% for Staphylococcus aureus and about 31% for Escherichia coli, even with low pick-up ratios. Even for a very low amount of extract usage, good antibacterial efficiency can be achieved. The application has endless potential in terms of higher concentration and a wide range of chemical usage.

Experimental evaluation of the compression garment produced from elastic spacer fabrics through real human limb

Spacer fabrics found vast applications as medical textile due to their intrinsic and unique properties such as good air permeability, breathability, compressibility and comfort. The aim of this study is to utilize weft knitted spacer fabric as pressure garment to apply more uniform interface pressure on limb than common commercial fabrics. Initially, different weft knitted spacer fabrics by varying the spacer fabric thickness (0.8, 1.2 and 1.8 mm) and elastane yarn content (25, 30, 35 and 40%) were produced. Then, mean interface pressure was obtained through conducting the Mannequin test. Based on the Mannequin test results, spacer fabrics with similar applied interface pressure to commercial one were selected to perform human limb test. According to the results, the spacer fabric with the thickness of 1.8[Formula: see text] and elastane yarn content of 25% not only applied interface pressure comparable to commercial fabric, but also exhibited the most uniform interface pressure mapping on human limb among those studied. Also experimental results showed the superior performance of spacer knitted fabrics with elastane yarn than the single jersey knitted fabrics as pressure garments.

Application of technical textile in medicine

Medical textile is an extremely important subcategory of technical textile because it is covering a wide range of products. The term medical textile itself covers all types of textile materials that are used in the healthcare system for various purposes. Medical textile is also known as health textile and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the technical textile market. The growth rate of technical textiles in this area is due to constant improvements and innovations in both areas: textile technologies and medical procedures. Textile structures used in this field include yarns, woven, knitted and non-woven textile materials as well as composite materials reinforced with textiles. The number of applications is large and diverse, from simple surgical sutures to complex composite structures for bone and tissue replacement, hygiene materials, protective products used in operating rooms and in the process of postoperative wound treatment. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of technical textiles for medical, surgical and healtcare applications, to indicate which textiles are currently used in this field.